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AUBURNe n g i n e e r i n gSpring 2007 Volume 17 Issue 1
S a m u e l G i n n C o l l e g e o f E n g i n e e r i n g
From the dean 2
Building of an Auburn Engineer 3
Auburn’s dynamoelectric generator 10
Into the lab 11
New name for Aerospace: Davis Hall 16
Leading the way in bioenergy 18
Wireless leaders converge on Auburn to meet, discuss new technologies 19
Dwight Wiggins: Part of the team 20
Minority engineering program celebrates10 Years of success 22
TIGERs camp scheduled June and July 23
Five minutes with John Watson 24
Alums discover new way of giving 26
Bill Ward – ensuring Auburn Engineering’s future 27
Engineering Hall of Fame 28
Cupola report 29
Inside front cover: Artist’s rendition of the Sen. Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology at night, in a view adjacent to the Jim and Betty Carroll CommonsBack cover: View of the Shelby Center in construction, again from a vantage that encompasses the commons
©2007 Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Auburn University
Auburn Engineering
Spring 2007Volume 17, Issue 1
Office of the DeanLarry Benefield, deanNels Madsen, associate dean for assessmentJoe Morgan, associate dean for academicsRalph Zee, associate dean for research
Office of Engineering Communications and MarketingAuburn University108 Ramsay HallAuburn, AL 36849334.844.2308334.844.0176 fax
Jim Killian, editor
ContributorsSara BorchikCheryl CobbBeth SmithLaura SteeleKatie Yester
Office of Engineering DevelopmentAuburn University107 Ramsay HallAuburn, AL 36849334.844.2736334.844.5904 fax
Rob Wellbaum, directorDan Bush, associate directorVeronica Chesnut, associate directorRon Evans, associate directorDara Kloss Hosey, associate director
Experience Auburn Engineering magazine online at www.eng.auburn.edu/magazine
Read the inaugural issue of our Annual Report at www.eng.auburn.edu/ar06
Auburn Engineering is published twice yearly by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Please send news items, suggestions and comments to [email protected].
www.eng.auburn.edu
Contents
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This is the year The development of engineering education at Auburn
University has from the beginning paralleled the devel-
opment of technology in our society. As this technol-
ogy has evolved and grown in complexity, so has the
discipline of engineering. But from the earliest days, one
thing has remained constant – the need for facilities that provide students with the hands-on experience necessary to solve the
challenges that lay ahead.
Auburn engineers have long been recognized
for their firm grasp of the basics, as well as
for their ability to solve real-world problems.
These traits are firmly grounded in a deci-
sion made in the late 1800s, at the urging of
President William Broun, to change the name
of the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical
Institute to Alabama Polytechnic Institute and
to begin offering classes in the sciences as
well as in the liberal arts.
“From the earl iest days of engineering education, instructional laboratories have been an essential part of under-graduate and graduate programs.” Feisel and Rosa, 2005: The Role of the Laborator y in Undergraduate Engineer ing Educat ion
The Building of an Auburn Engineer
Pre-scientific revolution: The prehistory of modern engineering features ancient master builders and Renaissance engineers such as Leonardo da Vinci
This is the year that will define the future of Auburn Engineering as no other year has.
In the short history across from this page it will become obvious to even the most casual reader that when the need arises, our alums have stepped forward to deal with the situa-tion. Again and again, the men and women of Auburn Engineering realized that it was their efforts that would bring the college to new levels of achievement.
So it is now.
When we entered our current development campaign, we had a well-defined roadmap and the willingness to work hard to bring Auburn Engineering to the next level. Our alums have responded, and we’ve profiled a number of you in these pages – leaders who have raised the bar in giving some of the largest gifts that we have ever received. At the same time, we have included in this issue our annual Cupola Report of named donors at all levels.
All are important.
We may never again see in our lifetimes the tremendous increase in the quality of our facilities that the construction of the new Sen. Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology will bring. As a result of the promise that these facilities hold, and with the recent renovations of Ross Hall and Wilmore Labs, we are attracting our best faculty ever. And it’s bringing in our best students ever – in part through scholarships you have funded.
This is the year. Please become a part of it through contributions of your time, your re-sources, and your gifts to Auburn Engineering. Fr
om th
e de
an
Larry Benefield, DeanCollege of Engineering
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A place to call home
Broun’s decision also led to Auburn’s first period of plant and equipment expansion
designed to “undergird the instruction of the sciences,” establishing the institution as
the first college in the South to have a manual training laboratory and a first-class
biological laboratory. When the Broun administration ended in 1902, degree offer-
ings had expanded to include civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, as well
as pharmacy, chemistry and metallurgy. Enrollment had risen by 400 percent.
Following Broun’s lead, President Thach helped ensure that API remained at “the
forefront of scientific institutions, equipping it for teaching the sciences and their ap-
plication to the economic need of the South.” Renovations and equipment upgrades
designed to address the new degree offerings eventually culminated in the con-
struction of the first phase of old Broun Engineering Hall – providing the flourishing
engineering program with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment “fitted with steam
heat, electric light and a full system of water works, as well as the most modern
apparatus, machinery and appliances.” An addition, completed in 1910, tripled the
space for engineering and helped to accommodate new areas of study such as
chemical engineering.
“The college has aimed to turn out not mere artisans, but leaders and managers of industr y.” O.D. Smith 1901
Industrial revolution: From the eighteenth through early nineteenth century, civil and mechanical engineers changed from practical artists to scientific professionals
Second industrial revolution: In the century before World War II, chemical, electrical, and other science- based engineering branches developed electricity, telecommunications, cars, airplanes, and mass production
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Alumni aid post war expansion
While the advent of World War I disrupted progress, it affirmed the decision by Broun
to broaden the focus of the institution. “It is not so much a war of manpower as of brain
power, of science, of chemistry, of mathematics, of electricity, of gas engines, of air-
planes, of every invention that the mind of man conceived in regard to natural sources
and machinery for their application.” (Dimensions, winter 1978)
The war also accelerated technological change. By the time the dust had settled and
the nation’s economy had stabilized,
API found itself with serious educational
challenges including a record enroll-
ment, an aging physical plant and “new
developments in the sciences,” even-
tually leading to program expansions
in mechanical, civil and electrical
engineering, as well as the fledgling
disciplines of aeronautical, textile and
industrial engineering.
Guided by President Spright Dowell,
API emerged from these turbulent
waters with a reorganized administra-
tive system, strengthened coursework
and, thanks to the generosity of some
dedicated alumni and friends, a number of important new facilities in critical areas
of engineering – the L-Building (1923), Ramsay Hall (1925), and Ross Hall (1930).
Alumni also played a role in securing financing for the Textile Engineering building.
Unfortunately, this period of progress came to a sudden halt with the stock market
crash of 1929 and subsequent depression. API emerged $1.2 million in debt, with an
unpaid and unhappy faculty and staff and insufficient facilities to handle a fast-growing
student population.
At the urging of President L.N. Duncan, API alumni and friends again stepped forward,
this time to generate the political support needed to restore financial stability and allow
the institution to take advantage of the numerous opportunities for federal aid avail-
able through the wide variety of New Deal programs. While student housing and core
instruction need took precedence, some engineering facilities and equipment were
upgraded to respond to advances in the discipline.
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“Auburn must f ind ways and means to teach these new principles to the end that the people of our state and nation may benefit from their applications.” Ralph B. Draughon, 1954
Information revolution: As engineering science matured after the war, microelectronics, computers and telecommunications jointly produced information technology
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Postwar growth
World War II proved beyond all doubt the soundness of the land-grant college
concept. During this period, engineering educated more than 38,000 students
through the Army Specialized Training and the Engineering Science, Management
and War Training Programs. The hastily constructed shop buildings, designed as
temporary structures, helped meet the need for wartime instructional space.
When it was over, API again faced a long list of challenges. Students came in the
thousands where before there had been hundreds, causing a crisis in housing
and in the classroom. Like the war before it, this one had also driven advances
in technology and API’s engineering facilities again had to play catch up – espe-
cially in the area of laboratory space. This time it was the state that came to the rescue with the
construction in 1949 of Wilmore Laboratories and upgrades of existing facilities, providing space for
research and instruction for the more than 1,600 engineering students. But these efforts were not
enough. In 1957, the “grinding pressures of enrollment growth, competition for faculty, and equip-
ment needs” resulted in the loss of accreditation for the Departments of Electrical and Mechanical
Engineering.
This loss galvanized the API engineering community. Within months, alumni responded and
launched the Engineering Emergency Fund, ultimately doubling their goal of $250,000 for a new
electrical engineering facility. Thanks to these efforts, Dunstan Hall was constructed, some existing
facilities and equipment were upgraded, and in 1961 accreditation reestablished.
Maintaining historic excellence
With the backdrop of the social unrest of the ’60s
and ’70s and the coming of the information age, Au-
burn engineering’s research programs and under-
graduate and graduate enrollment grew but with no
increase in faculty or facility enhancements. Soon,
engineering was again at a crossroads.
A 1979 study ranked Auburn’s engineering facilities
at the bottom of all institutions in the Southeast in
the number of square footage available per student
and faculty, and in 1981 an ABET review made it clear that accreditation was at risk. Again fac-
ulty, staff and alumni mobilized, issuing a priorities and planning report that stated “nothing less
than the doubling of laboratory and support space must be anticipated if the School of Engineer-
ing is to survive, hold its faculty, educate its students and maintain its historic excellence.”
Under the leadership of President Hanley Funderburk, a long-range revitalization program for
the College of Engineering was outlined with support coming from alumni and friends. In 1983
the well loved but structurally deficient old Broun Hall was demolished,
and a new electrical engineering building, Broun Hall, was dedicated.
“The construction and occupation of new Broun Hall ushered in a quan-
tum leap in the quality of our teaching and research, because it permit-
ted us to concentrate an operation, scattered in parts of five buildings,
in one modern up-to-date wired facility,” explains Dave Irwin, depart-
ment head for electrical and computer engineering.
Unfortunately plans for a second major engineering building to replace
the aged and quickly constructed L and shop buildings stalled for lack
of funds. Instead, parts of Ross Hall, L-Building and Wilmore Labs re-
ceived limited renovations, and in 1986, thanks to a $5 million gift from
alumnus John Harbert, a new civil engineering building was dedicated.
Despite strong growth in engineering enrollment, perennially tight budgets and facility needs
in other parts of the campus delayed progress on a new aerospace engineering building until
1992. “The new building opened the door for the development of a robust undergraduate pro-
gram and a much stronger graduate program,” says John Cochran, head of the department.
However, other fast-growing and rapidly evolving disciplines, such as materials engineering
and computer science and software engineering, had to make do with yet another round of
renovations to the well-used shop buildings.
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The next revolution: The cooperation and convergence of traditional intellectual disciplines, such as biology, math, biochemistry, genetics, engineering, information processing and physics, in the development of new technology
A vision for the future
The turn of the century was marked by a significant increase
in the speed of technological change and the importance of
cross disciplinary research to the health of a comprehensive
educational institution.
“Auburn Engineering, for much of its existence, has grown by
reacting to crises,” says Larry Benefield, dean of the College
of Engineering. “As an institution, we are skilled at doing
much with little, and at coming in just under the wire.
“However, in today’s increasingly competitive world, marked
by speed-of-light technological change, we must become
proactive if we are to survive and thrive. The vision we have
outlined for the future of our college follows this course.”
That vision rests firmly on a series of key facility enhance-
ments. The positive impacts of the first two, the recently
completed top-to-bottom renovations of Ross Hall and Wilmore
Labs, are already being felt by faculty and students.
However, Benefield explains that the construction of the new
Shelby Center – with its cutting-edge classrooms and laborato-
ries, and a design to foster cross disciplinary discourse – is the
cornerstone on which the college’s future will rest. ”Dunstan,
the L-Building and the Shop buildings have served us well, but
there is only so much you can and should do with aging build-
ings,” he says. “Funderburk recognized this back in 1983.”
Thanks to the efforts of Alabama’s senior senator, Richard
Shelby, $65 million in federal funds were secured for the proj-
ect, which along with revenue bonds covered all but $15 mil-
lion of the new center – enough to enable the construction of
Phase I. However, before construction of Phase II can begin,
the college must raise $15 million in private support.
“Throughout our history, alumni have always stepped up when
needed,” says Benefield. “I believe we are at a critical point in
our evolution as an institution. The changes that Broun put in
motion at the dawn of the 20th century set the stage for the
evolution of Auburn for the next century, serving the state well
as it transitioned from an agricultural economy to a manufac-
turing one. I believe that the vision we have outlined will ready
this college and state for the next 100.”
Join the ranks
There are many ways for alumni, friends and the corporate com-munity to invest in the future of Auburn Engineering with a gift to the new Sen. Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology through a naming opportunity for a classroom, laboratory or meeting space in the complex.
Log on to www.eng.auburn.edu/naming to learn more or contact the Engineering Office of Development at 334.844.1265.
Join the ranks of alumni and friends who will help to define the future of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the students who will pass through its doors.
“The nation with the best engineering talent is in possession of the core ingredient of comparative economic and industrial advantage.” Richard Morrow, past chai rman NAE
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It is hard to believe that an important part of Auburn’s
history has been quietly rusting away behind Broun Hall, unnoticed for
almost 22 years. To the average student, it looks like a broken piece of
junk left over from a building renovation or an unsuccessful experiment.
Even faculty that walk by may have no idea of its storied history – of the
innovation, the heritage and even the tragedy that surrounds this ugly
hunk of metal, wires, coils and bolts.
Early one Tuesday morning I sat in Dr. Jim Lowry’s office in Broun Hall
admiring his curious collection of old doorknobs, antique instruments
and slide rules. I was on the hunt for little known facts about Auburn’s
oldest buildings – ghost stories maybe, mysteries and legendary pranks
pulled by engineering students.
Along the way our conversation turned to the five horsepower Weston
dynamoelectric generator that was parked in the grass next to electrical
engineering faculty parking lot. It was hard for me to imagine
that this cumbersome and rusted old thing was once the sole
source of electricity to Auburn University and the city of Auburn
– and an unusual bit of history.
The generator was first installed inside the basement of
Langdon Hall in 1886. Though not very powerful by modern
standards, the 240 volts it generated with steam and coal was
enough to light up the town, from Ag Hill on down to the end of
College Street.
In order to save money and energy, it was turned off promptly
at 11 o’clock as residents and students headed off to bed. The
generator’s operator was typically a student, and it was his
job to switch the power off and then back on for 15 seconds
at 10:45 each night as a warning that the lights would soon
be out. This arrangement was rarely disrupted except for one
night in 1915 when several engineering students played a col-
lege prank.
A group asked student operator R.D. Spann
to pause longer than usual when he gave his
warning switch. That night at 10:45, he flipped
the switch off just as the students had request-
ed. In one minute of darkness, those same
students were able to steal every banana from
the late night produce stand near Toomer’s
Corner.
Spann was not fired for his part in the fruit
heist and he continued to operate the genera-
tor nightly, though he was never again daw-
dled on his warning flicker. R.D.’s
involvement with the generator did
not end after his graduation, either.
He stayed in Auburn and eventually
became the department head for electrical engi-
neering.
On close inspection you can see a small notch filed
into the eyebolt at the very top of the iron frame. It
is a reminder of the power and danger that once
surged through this now dilapidated machine. In the early
1900’s, tragedy struck when a man was electrocuted and killed
by the power generated from Langdon Hall. At that time, it was
traditional to mark a dynamo with a notch each time some-
one was killed by its electrical current. Fortunately, Auburn’s
generator only has one such notch. Now, 100 years later it
still serves as a small but meaningful reminder of the potential
danger of electricity.
In 1923, after 37 years of service to the Auburn community
the generator was retired. It was moved from Langdon to the
electrical labs where it served as a teaching tool for countless
engineering students. It came to its present parking lot resting
place in 1985, when the lab building was torn down to make
way for the construction of Broun Hall.
I have passed by the generator a few times since my visit with
Dr. Lowry and each time my eyes are drawn over to the park-
ing lot. I find myself reflecting on its notch and its history with
a twinge of sadness. Unlike the famous civil war lathe, which
sits proudly among the azaleas next to Samford Hall, the gen-
erator has been all but forgotten.
Dr. Lowry says he would like to see the old dynamo restored
and moved to a prominent location on campus to commemo-
rate its important place in the Auburn community. Until then
it sits quietly in its parking lot in a bed of weeds . . . as busy
students hurry by to their next class, their next tomorrow.
This story was contributed by Laura Steele, a senior who worked for Auburn En-gineering’s Office of Communications and Marketing for the 2006-07 academic year as an editorial assistant on a wide variety of assignments. A May graduate, she is now working in Charlotte, N.C., in public relations.
The g enera tor in the basement o f Langdon Ha l l
au b u r n’s dynamoelectric g e n e r a t o r
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Spotlight on Industrial and Systems
Ever had a long and overwhelming to-do list and won-dered where you should start? In a National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored project, “Sequencing Hu-man Tasks: A New Paradigm for Scheduling Research,” Emmett Lodree, Jerry Davis and Robert Bulfin, faculty members in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, are taking the initial steps towards devel-oping a scientific theory for scheduling activities in a way that optimizes productivity and maintains accept-able stress levels.
“We thought it would be useful to explore the effects of task-assignments, task-sequences and break sched-ules after observing intense order picking activities in warehouse environments,” says Lodree. “We hope that our work can make the picking process more efficient for companies, while making the progression easier on employees.”
The study focuses on physically demanding tasks car-ried out by human order pickers in a warehouse en-vironment and involves collecting data from a large scale distribution center. These methods will allow the research team to mathematically model the physical stress associated with various tasks. This data will in turn be incorporated into mathematical programming and simulation models that will generate ergonomic and performance optimizing order picking sequences, while determining the optimal number, timing and dura-tion of rest breaks.
The NSF project brings together operations research and management sciences (ORMS) and human fac-tors engineering (HFE), two sub-disciplines of indus-trial engineering that have historically had a minimal relationship. The project demonstrates the usefulness of ORMS techniques with respect to complementing existing HFE methods for addressing complex prob-lems in human performance and safety. The project also identifies a new domain for exploring the applica-tion of ORMS methods, and positions Auburn Univer-sity as a leader in the ORMS/HFE interface.
“This particular project is designed to improve human performance and comfort in warehouse environments,” Lodree says. “We hope to secure additional funding from other government agencies or private sector firms that will allow us to better schedule tasks and assign breaks in other demanding environments such as mili-tary operations and exercise physiology, and to estab-lish a platform for alleviating the disconnect between the mathematical science of ORMS and the behavioral science of HFE.”
Into the labAerospace
Wake structure, gas flow in materials
uChris Roy and his group have recently completed a re-search project supported by the Department of Energy to in-vestigate the structure of the turbulent wake developed behind trac-tor-trailers.
uRoy is also col-laborating with Bruce Tatarchuk of Auburn’s Department of Chemi-cal Engineering to study gas flow through micro-fibrous materials. By em-bedding small, catalytic particles in a matrix of microfibers with diameters on the order of a few microns, enhanced chemical reactivity by up to a factor of five has been achieved. Computational fluid dynamics simu-lations are being used to provide insight into the fundamental mechanisms behind the increased chemical reactivity and will ultimately be used to design new, more efficient materials.
Biosystems
Reducing our dependence on foreign oil
uReducing dependence on foreign oil is the motivation be-hind several biosystems engineering research thrusts. Oladiran Fasina has been leading efforts to characterize the physical and thermodynamic properties of various biomass energy feed-stocks. His research also has evaluated different bioprocessing methods that improve the economic efficiency of using biomass feedstocks for energy sources. Fasina was recently awarded a leadership citation by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) for international standards on terminology for biomass. A new standard titled “ANSI/ASABE S593 Terminology and Definitions for Biomass Production, Har-vesting and Collection, Storage, Processing, Conversion and Utilization” is jointly published by the American National Stan-dards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
uA multidisciplinary team of engineers and agricultural sci-entists is tackling the old problem of how to best handle all of the poultry litter produced in Alabama. John Fulton, Puneet Srivastava and Fasina serve as the engineering team members that are perfecting new processing techniques for packaging the litter into a compact, easy-to-handle form so it can be ef-ficiently used as a bioenergy feedstock. They are also develop-
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ing a GIS-based decision support system that helps producers, vendors and potential energy users match their energy needs with the most economical feedstock sources.
Civil
Improving performance of concrete structures
Anton K. Schindler has been involved with research to improve the long-term performance of massive concrete members. The research team is composed of Schindler and Jason Meadows of Auburn University in collaboration with researchers at the University of Texas at Austin.
This project was recently named one of six top research innovations and findings by the Texas Depart-ment of Transportation (TxDOT). The top projects are chosen based upon their estimated benefit to Tx-DOT and the state of Texas. Such benefits could include number of lives saved, increased efficiency, monetary savings or other factors.
The end product of the project is a computer program designed to improve the construction process and durability of concrete entitled Con-creteWorks. Given user-defined con-ditions, ConcreteWorks estimates the heat generation and strength develop-ment in mass concrete, as well as the likelihood of cracking at the shortening of concrete’s lifespan. ConcreteWorks is currently in use on a trial basis in TxDOT’s Fort Worth district as well as by California and Kansas’ departments of transporta-tion.
Chemical
Identifying processing routes in polygeneration
Researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering are applying novel process systems engineering methods to devel-op a flexible optimization framework capable of identifying the most profitable set of products and processing routes in poly-generation facilities such as biorefineries, thus helping guide further research towards the technologies showing the high-est potential. This project was an integral part of a successful NSF CAREER proposal submitted by Mario Eden. In addition, a graduate student working on this project was recently awarded the prestigious EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellow-ship, awarded to only 100 students nationwide each year.
Simulation of an unsteady turbulent truck wake
Defect in a massive concrete column
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The southeastern United States has abundant resources that can help alleviate the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. The integrated biorefinery, which uses renewable feedstocks such as wood and municipal waste, has the opportunity to provide a self-dependent, sustainable alternative for the production of chemicals, polymers, fiber composites, pharmaceuticals, en-ergy, liquid fuels and hydrogen. Depending on market prices and trends, the optimum allocation of resources and production capacity can switch between the different products. With such a wide range of processing steps and possible products, identifi-cation of the optimum process structure can not be done based on heuristics or rules of thumb. There is a critical need for an in-depth understanding of the effects of changes in economic, social, political and environmental conditions on the structure and design of such facilities.
Computer Science and Software
Developing simulations for UAV teams
Simulation can be a useful tool for comparing alternative sys-tem configurations with direct experimentation when the physi-cal system is too costly and the underlying mathematical model too complex to facilitate a solution. However, in order for a simu-lation study to be meaningful, uncertainty regarding the nature of the underlying model must be dealt with. Levent Yilmaz is currently working with multisimulation, a simulation process that allows exploration of the problem state space through the cre-ation of dynamically updating models, is one method for over-coming such uncertainty. This research is focused on examining the use of multisimulation supported by a genetic algorithm to accelerate the exploration of the problem state space and thus provide a broad analysis of alternative system configurations.
This technique allows both a reasoned approach to compar-ing alternative systems and a real-time method for resolving in-consistencies between the model and a dynamically changing system. It involves the creation of a population of systems that evolve over time. The quality of a proposed system is deter-mined by how well it responds to a given set of conditions within the model. New generations of system configurations are then created using information from previously successful systems. Furthermore, each competing system configuration is subjected to a simulation model that may be dynamically updated as new observations from the physical system emerge.
Electrical and Computer
Processes in electronics manufacturing
uUnder the direction of Wayne Johnson, researchers in the Laboratory for Electronics Assembly and Packaging (LEAP) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are in-vestigating materials and processes for the manufacturing of electronics and the resulting reliability of electronic products. An example is lead-free electronics assembly. Since July 2006, the European Union has banned the use of lead in the assembly of most electronic products. The concern is the increasing quantity of consumer electronics (cell phones, computers, PDAs, etc.) going into landfills and the resulting potential for lead contami-nation.
Researchers in LEAP are examining the manufacturing pro-cesses and the reliability of lead-free electronics. Recent reli-ability testing has shown that the drop test performance of lead-free electronics de-grades rapidly with high tem-perature aging. Everyone who owns a cell phone has performed drop testing. The high temperature aging ac-celerates the aging mecha-nisms that occur at normal use temperatures, allowing testing to be done in a rea-sonable length of time. While the decrease in drop test per-formance does not decrease significantly over the lifetime of a cell phone (2-3 years), it is very significant for a portable military product which may re-main in service for 10-20 years. Other long term reliability impli-cations of the switch to lead-free electronics for military systems are under way. uResearchers at the Alabama Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center (AMNSTC), led by Charles Ellis, director of the microfabrication lab, have developed a technique for fabricat-ing a planar patch-clamp structure. This structure can be eas-ily interfaced to a standard patch-clamp amplifier “HeadStage”. It will provide a new tool for cell physiologists, allowing them to characterize cells and cell membranes without expensive microscopes and manipuators. The planar patch-clamp also reduces the level of expertise required to successfully clamp a cell or bi-layer. AMNSTC has collaborated with researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine who have successfully used this structure to investigate the ion-gating mechanisms in artifi-cial phospholipid bilayers.
Mechanical
Enhancing detection of welding defects
Faults in welding can lead to loss of life and equipment. To identify and analyze problems in welds, an Auburn mechani-
cal engineering graduate student re-searcher interned in Bangalore, India with the John F. Welch Technology Centre, General Electric’s $80 million state-of-the-art hub for technology, research and innovation where scien-tists, researchers and engineers work with counterparts worldwide.
The student developed an algorithm to detect welding defects such as lack
of penetration, lack of fusion and scattered porosity and test-ed it on digital radiographic images provided by GE. The main challenges were to detect these faint defects in the presence of weld ripples. The success rate of this algorithm is more than 90 percent. Work will continue at Auburn under the guidance of mechanical engineering faculty, and GE scientists will continue to work with Auburn on the project.
Polymer and Fiber
Improving performance of SMPs and protective clothing
uShape memory polymers (SMPs) are smart materials ca-pable of remembering their original shape after they are de-formed. Maria Auad’s team is improving the performance of shape memory polyurethanes by reinforcing them with nano-cellulose crystals. These materials have enabled the creation of novel medical devices such as smart sutures and biological microelectromechanical systems, and have potential applica-tions for obtaining objects that must be manipulated in inacces-sible locations, such as complex machinery and microsystem assemblies.
In recent years, studies have reported on SMPs, but they often fail to mention their major drawback: SMPs present a low stiff-ness, which results in a small recovery force under constraint compared to alternative active materials, such as metals and ceramics. Auad’s group demonstrates that the incorporation of low concentrations of cellulose nanocrystals produces stiffer yet highly deformable composites, comparable the unfilled polymer. In addition to enhancing the recovery force, the biocompatibility of the material is retained, since cellulose fibers are biodegrad-able.
uScientists from the Departments of Polymer and Fiber En-gineering and Chemistry at Auburn University and Clemson
University, along with Nova-Comp, a SBIR company, are working together to design and manufacture efficient chemical protective materi-als and garments based on the active protection and selective permeability of multilayered fabrics and mi-croporous membranes.
Physical and chemical im-mobilization of chemical toxins and subsequent de-activation are achieved by attaching receptor molecules to the fiber and microporous membrane surfaces. This new material will allow first responders to work within hazardous chemical spills for prolonged times without fear of contamination.
Wireless
Addressing wireless multimedia communications
uPrathima Agrawal, Samuel Ginn distinguished professor and director of the Wireless Engineering Research and Educa-tion Center (WEREC), and her research team have embarked on a project to efficiently design, analyze and implement wire-less sensor networks that effectively utilize UWB communica-tion technology. UWB communications represent an emerging technology promising very high data rates, in-built localization features and low power consumption. This is a joint research project between Auburn and University of Maryland Baltimore campus and is funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Re-search.
uWireless multimedia communications are important not only for commercial applications, but also for mission criti-cal and homeland security applications. Research funded by WEREC directly addresses this important problem area by le-veraging recent advances in video coding (in particular, multiple description coding), multi-path routing and system optimization techniques. The project shows that the proposed application-centric cross-layer approach is highly effective in addressing the challenge of multimedia service provisioning over multi-hop wireless networks.
A radioscopic image of an aluminum wheel shows an example of a flaw that could lead to disaster
Students test materials in Wayne Johnson’s lab
Chemical protective materials based on the multilayered fabrics and microporous membranes
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The Aerospace Engineering Building, which anchors the
northwest corner of Samford Park in the historic district of
the Auburn campus, has a new name – the Charles E. Davis
Aerospace Engineering Hall. Officially renamed at the April 27
meeting of the university’s board of trustees, it honors 1959
engineering graduate Charles E. (Buddy) Davis.
“Renaming the aerospace building as Davis Hall pays homage
not only to Buddy, but to his family as well,” notes Larry Bene-
field, dean of engineering. “His wife Charlotte has been a key
to Buddy’s success over the years, and his oldest son, Steve,
is a 1988 aerospace engineering graduate from Auburn. Brian,
the couple’s middle son, and Neil, the youngest, are both West
Point graduates.”
Davis Hall was built as a multi-use building to house the De-
partment of Aerospace Engineering. It includes classrooms,
laboratories and graduate student and faculty offices. Bounded
by Harbert, Samford and Hargis Hall, it was designed to blend
with Auburn’s historic architecture while offering state-of-the-
art facilities.
Auburn on the GI Bill
“I attended Auburn on the GI Bill, and received a wonderful
education” Davis states. “My life was profoundly benefited by
Auburn University, and my desire today is to make available
the same educational opportunities I was given.
“I am thrilled to be a member of the Auburn family and want to
make a gift to this generation of students, as well as those who
will follow. That’s the ultimate investment.”
Davis graduated from Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering, but spent his career in the aerospace
industry, and more closely identifies with aerospace from a
career point of view.
“I was so fortunate to graduate in engineering and become
part of America’s endeavor to put a man on the moon. I’ve had
an exciting career – I can’t imagine many others who have
enjoyed what they have done as much.”
Launching at Vandenberg
Davis began his career with a field assignment at Vandenberg
Air Force Base, where he spent a year launching Thor ICBM
rockets. His work in advanced design led to a 1961 proposal
for the Apollo spacecraft, as well as a method for assembling
and moving the Apollo rocket to the launch pad.
These facilities are still in use – the massive Vertical Assembly
Building and the crawler that now transport the space shuttle
to launch. He also wrote the checkout procedure for the incred-
ibly complex Apollo, a project he joined from its inception.
“I kept copies of these proposals with my signature on each,”
Davis points out. “It’s my connection to the space program,
and some of the best times in my life. I believe that it was an
optimum time for America’s space program, with new boundar-
ies broken on a daily basis.”
A straight A student through grade school and high school,
Davis found the curriculum at Auburn difficult and demanding,
even though he made the dean’s list several
times during his academic career on the
plains.
“When I was in the Air Force I went through a
demanding sequence of four tech schools and
taught air traffic control,” Davis notes. “When I
got my early out to attend Auburn, things got
tougher. This experience prepared me for my
career more than anything else. I realized that
what I learned at Auburn was discipline.”
Apollo third stage team
Davis joined Douglas Aircraft Company – later
known as McDonnell Douglas – in Santa Mon-
ica, and was transferred to Sacramento along
with the Apollo third stage team and the block
house control panels that he had designed.
He was chosen to man the firing control panel
and manually fired the S4B stage 100 times.
Following these firings the operation was moved to Tullahoma,
Tenn. The third stage, with the Rocketdyne J-2 engines, was
installed in the world’s largest altitude chamber to test its in-
space restart capability.
“It was exciting to manually fire the large rocket engine, cut it
off and reduce the data after each firing,” Davis recalls. “Includ-
ing the launches at Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral and
the static firings at Sacramento and Tullahoma, I was a team
member for more than 600 static firings and launches, which
may be a record.”
After 12 years on the Apollo program from its earliest days
through the Apollo 16 launch, Davis was assigned to the Delta
missile, a rocket derived from the Thor that he worked on years
before.
Delta’s long shadow
He points with pride to this work horse, which has launched
more than 70 percent of the commercial satellites to date –
a rate of one a month for 43 years.
Davis also worked on the Harpoon missile, the KC-10 aerial
refueling tanker and the mast-mounted sight (MMS) which has
visual, laser and infrared sensing for Scout helicopters.
Davis is known to the industry’s technical insiders as a pio-
neer in the design, testing and launch of large rockets. In the
corporate boardroom he was known as
an engineer who could take programs and
job sites that had major problems and turn
them around.
At Auburn he is known for his commitment
to the College of Engineering. His leader-
ship gift of $4 million through a trust will
benefit generations of Auburn students to
come. Ceremonies planned for June 23 will
commemorate the renaming of the build-
ing, a significant university event that Davis
plans to make a memorable affair for family
and friends.
Charlotte’s connection
“Auburn is a very special place, and we
love to be on campus,” Davis observes.
“There is always a tremendous amount of
work going on there, whether it involves
faculty, staff or students. It is my hope that this gift will move
Auburn Engineering programs forward, particularly as it relates
to academic rankings.”
Charlotte Davis, who met Buddy at Douglas in California, mir-
rors his active lifestyle, and has been his most vocal supporter
through the years. A native of New Jersey who grew up on the
west coast, she too feels a connection to Auburn.
“Once you experience Auburn you can’t help but love it,” she
relates. “I’ve developed a great fondness for the College of
Engineering as well, and a great respect for the faculty. It’s
a wonderful feeling to give something significant back to the
school that gave Buddy an opportunity to excel. That’s what we
want to give back – a renewed sense of excellence.”
Davis Hall story for spring magazine
“Renaming the aerospace building as Davis Hall pays homage not only to Buddy, but to his family as well”— Larr y Benef ie ld , Dean
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New Name for Aerospace: Davis Hall
A young Buddy Davis at control panel
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As Alabama’s land-grant institution, it’s Auburn’s duty to ad-
dress and research new uses for the natural resources that are
abundant in the state. Steve Taylor, head of the Department of
Biosystems Engineering, is making the College of Engineering
an important part of this mission.
Taylor has been selected to lead the newly established AU
Bioenergy and Bioproducts Center which capitalizes on the
university’s research expertise in forestry, engineering and
agriculture. The creation of the center positions Auburn as a
national leader in converting natural resources into fuels and
other products.
The center’s mission is to seek bioenergy and bioproduct
breakthroughs at all levels, from the farm and forests through
the manufacturing processes to delivery at the pump. The pro-
gram is dedicated to the creation and promotion of traditional
and innovative natural resource products and services, and to
sustainable practices for the benefit of communities today and
for the well-being of generations to come.
“The possibilities are wide open, and I’m looking forward to
the successes that are sure to come from this initiative,” said
Taylor.
In January, Auburn University President Ed Richardson also
appointed Taylor to lead Auburn’s Alternative Energy
Committee.
“This initiative is important on a national scale as we look for
ways to reduce dependence on foreign oil and create new
industries,” Richardson says. “Under Dr. Taylor’s leadership,
the committee will identify and develop alternative energy
technologies and prepare them for commercialization in the
marketplace.”
Taylor assumed the committee’s leadership role from former
co-chairs Ralph Zee and Graeme Lockaby. Zee was named
acting vice president for AU research in December, and
Lockaby, associate dean and professor of forestry and wildlife
sciences, has taken on additional responsibilities with water
resource issues. To show the university’s support for the pro-
gram, Richardson committed $3 million toward the alternative
energy effort for fiscal year 2007.
“The strength of our committee lies in the diversity of its mem-
bers and the talent and expertise each brings to the table,”
Taylor said. “We’ve taken a systems approach in our effort to
make alternative energy both efficient and cost competitive. I
am excited about the challenge before us.”
For more information on the AU alternative energy initiative,
visit www.auburn.edu/alternative-energy.
This March, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering hosted
the third Vodafone Fellows Initiative Symposium — Wireless
Without Borders — bringing together more than 200 faculty
and students from the University of California at Berkeley,
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Auburn
University, as well as wireless industry executives, to discuss
the status of wireless
technology and to
share their latest re-
search findings. It also
provided Auburn fac-
ulty with a chance to
showcase the nation’s
only undergraduate
program in wireless
engineering.
The series of symposiums is part of an initiative launched in
2003 by the Vodafone-US Foundation to provide support for
academics in the advancement of wireless technology. The
three institutions shared $12 million in grants providing sup-
port for undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships,
curriculum and research development, and interscholastic
seminars, web casts and symposiums.
The Auburn symposium was the third in a series designed to
bring together Vodafone-US Foundation Fellows with interna-
tional academic and industry professionals to share knowledge
and create a community of scholars dedicated to the advance-
ment of wireless technology. The event was hosted by Berke-
ley in 2005 and the University of Illinois in 2006.
The conference featured seven speakers, two of whom were
from Auburn University. David Bevly, assistant professor in
mechanical engineering, discussed his work with GPS in
unmanned ground vehicles, while Charles Ellis, manager of
Auburn’s microelectronics lab, spoke on a project to provide
wireless internet and voice over IP (VoIP) service for a re-
mote orphanage in
Honduras. Speakers
also included Samuel
Ginn, retired chairman
of Vodafone AirTouch
and Sloan Fellow at
Stanford University’s
School of Business;
Anil Kripalani, senior
vice president of glob-
al technology affairs
for Qualcomm; Ali Niknejad, associate professor of electrical
and computer engineering at Berkeley; and Peters Suh, presi-
dent of Vodafone Americas Inc. and Vodafone Ventures Ltd.
Participants also had an opportunity to learn about the many
ways that wireless technologies are being utilized for transpor-
tation research at the College of Engineering’s National Center
for Asphalt Technology test track, highlighting Auburn Universi-
ty’s cutting-edge research efforts.
“The impact of the Vodafone Fellows Initiative at our institution
has been significant,” explained Dean Benefield. “The same
can be said for the program at our two partner institutions. We
are all grateful for Vodafone’s generosity.”
Leading the way in Bioenergy
Steve Taylor, left; Above: switchgrass is one of the major resources currently being investigated by Auburn researchers for its energy uses.
Wireless leaders converge on Auburn
to meet, discuss new technologies
The mobi le wire less network a t the Nat ional Center for Asphal t Technology’s 1 .7 -mi le test t rack in nearby Opel ika was featured in a presentat ion at the Vodafone conference , as wel l as the fac i l i ty ’s se l f - forming, adapt ive mesh network . The over lapping mobi le ce l ls ( represented in color ) provide connect iv i ty for the t rack ’s test t rucks, including data t ranspor t o f engine management components such as fue l economy and t rack ing in format ion such as GPS coordinat ion.
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�0
Dwight Wiggins remembers how it was back in the day.
The ’62 mechanical engineering graduate, who returned for
a master’s in 1967, recalls working on his senior project in
Wilmore Labs.
“It was a small lab, and hot,” he points out. “I was using pro-
pane burners to model heat patterns around the skirt of a five-
engine Saturn V configuration, and I believe the data made it
up to Huntsville where one of our professors was consulting.
“It was the kind of project that blended the practical to the
theoretical, the academic to the application . . . in a way that
points to the Auburn engineer as someone who can go into
part of the team
industry and make contributions within the first few months of
moving into a job.”
Wiggins has spent four decades in the petroleum industry,
first at Exxon, and then at Tosco Corporation, where he began
as president of Bayway Refining, moving on to the corporate
executive vice presidency before his retirement in 2001.
Wiggins, who developed a reputation in the industry as a turn-
around expert, helped grow Tosco to a daily refining capacity
of 1.3 million barrels, employing 5,000 workers with $500 mil-
lion in annual capital expenditures.
“I owe it to Auburn, to faculty like Capt. B.P. Ward, who taught
me steam turbine design, and to Prof. Scarborough, who knew
how to size pumps and pipes, and how to impart that knowl-
edge,” Wiggins recalls. “In a sense, they were old school, and
in another, they were the kind of faculty who taught you how
to hit the ground running. Dr. Vestal, as department head, was
a visionary who made sure we also had a strong theoretical
underpinning.”
When he returned for his master’s degree, Wiggins recalls
working on the top floor of Ross Hall, where there were some
faculty offices and room for graduate students and lab space.
He built a wind tunnel and test modeled
in support of his fluid dynamics thesis.
“My wife, Sally, who is also a ’62 gradu-
ate in education, would help me collect
and compile data late into the night and
on weekends,” Wiggins adds. “She’s
been so many things to me and always
supportive, from our first days together
in Auburn, and every day through today.”
Since his days as a student, Ross and
Wilmore have both undergone major
renovations, where the buildings were
completely gutted. Both have been
recast as thoroughly modern, flexible
facilities that include offices and labs,
and in Ross, the McMillan auditorium,
a state-of-the-art teaching facility that combines the latest in
audiovisual and computer support.
Phase I of the Shelby Center for Engineering Technology will
continue the dramatic reinvention of Auburn Engineering’s
facilities with the construction of three buildings that will house
computer science and software engineering, industrial and
systems engineering, labs, classrooms, and space for en-
gineering student services, the AT&T minority engineering
program and engineering administration.
��
Wiggins already has his eyes on Phase II, where his gift of
$1.25 million will fund the Dwight and Sally Wiggins Student
Projects Laboratory, a 10,000 square foot facility on the first
floor of the planned mechanical engineering building that will
house the college’s student competition teams. Among these
it will house student teams for Baja SAE and Formula SAE, for
which he has a personal affinity.
“The competitive teams at Auburn have become a develop-
mental driving force that enable students to blend their aca-
demic knowledge with practical experience . . . to turn a design
into a practical, complex undertaking that involves engineering
fundamentals, teamwork, project man-
agement, budget and communications
skills,” says Wiggins.
“In the case of the Formula SAE com-
petition, I have been able to see what I
consider the real end product – wonder-
ful students such as Gilbert Fournelle,
now at Ford Motor Company, Charlie
Ping at Honda Racing, and Jim Ray,
who has moved from Harley-Davidson to
Big Dog Motorcycles, a boutique manu-
facturer that brought him on as their first
test engineer.”
Wiggins sees the Shelby Center for En-
gineering Technology as a cornerstone
for Auburn Engineering’s future.
“It takes world-class facilities to bring the best faculty to the
Auburn campus, and it’s the faculty who bring the best and
brightest students to campus,” he explains. “The Shelby Center
is a key in achieving the college’s vision to move up to the
highest level in the national rankings of engineering schools.
Our facilities represent the building blocks for our dreams and
our goals.”
Wiggins at the wheel of this year’s Formula SAE racer in Detroit
Pictured with wife Sally at his 2006 induction into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame
Dwight Wiggins
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10
While scores of young people may say they want to be
engineers when they grow up, many middle and high school
students have no idea what it actually means to work the field
of engineering. Doing its part to make choosing an educational
and career path a little easier, the Samuel Ginn College of
Engineering will be hosting the fourth annual Teams and Indi-
viduals Guided by Engineering Resources (TIGERs) camp, a
resident summer camp designed to expose students in grades
seven through ten to the world of engineering.
“We had a great time at last year’s TIGERs camp,” says
Bonnie Wilson, recruiter for the college. “There was interest
in expanding the camp to include ninth and tenth graders,
and I’m excited about what this year’s camp will bring.”
The camp for rising seventh and eighth graders will be held
July 7-13, while the ninth and tenth grade camp will be June
24-29. Participants will have the chance to take part in a
number of hands-on experiences in several of the college’s en-
gineering departments. Activities will include workshops, tours
and lectures guided by engineers and engineering students.
“Studies have shown that middle and high school students
don’t necessarily know what an engineering career entails,”
Wilson said. “It’s fun to watch the students participate in the
hands-on activities and see them realize that a future in engi-
neering could be a perfect fit for their interests.”
Registration is limited. For more information on pricing, hous-
ing and meals, contact Kathy Kyle with the Outreach Program
Office at 334.844.3115 or [email protected] or visit our
website at www.eng.auburn.edu/tigers.
Scott-Harris notes that this year’s anniversary has been a par-
ticularly exciting and productive one for the program. Ninety-
five freshmen enrolled in AT&TMEP this fall — the highest
number of new students since the program’s inception. High-
lights of the past year include the formation of an AT&TMEP
Advisory Council that will provide input into ways to improve
program operations, address new initiatives and proposals,
and engage alumni in student recruitment and fundraising.
AT&TMEP began in 1997 with funding from Texas Instruments
and its retired executive vice president, Auburn electrical
engineering alumnus William F. (Hank) Hayes ’65. In 2001,
Bellsouth, with has since become part of AT&T, provided the
financial assistance that made it possible for the program to
experience steady growth in the areas of student recruitment
and program expansions.
“The AT&T Minority Engineering Program has played a major
role in the academic success of the college’s underrepresent-
ed students,” says Larry Benefield, dean of the Samuel Ginn
College of Engineering. “The graduation numbers continue
to provide positive proof that structured learning environments
outside the classroom that incorporate proactive mentoring
and tutoring can make a significant difference in student
retention.”
TIGERs Campsscheduled for June and July
This spring, the AT&T Minority Engineering Program
(AT&TMEP) celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Saturday
night of dinner and dancing at the Auburn-Opelika Marriott at
Grand National.
“The gala was a great success,“ said program director Shirley
Scott-Harris. “It was wonderful to see our students, alumni and
sponsors getting to know each other better on a personal level
while celebrating this momentous event.”
More than 125 invitees attended the gala. After dinner and a
keynote speech by David W. Scobey Jr., president and CEO of
AT&T Southeast, guests were treated to music by Souled Out!,
one of Montgomery’s most recognizable soul bands.
“The tenth anniversary banquet went very well,” said Joseph
Moore, a senior in aerospace engineering and a participant in
AT&TMEP. ”It was good to see some of the people who were
my mentors when I was a freshman. It was an opportunity to
show them that the program is still a success.”
In support of its mission to recruit and retain minority engineer-
ing students, AT&TMEP works in partnership with business,
industry and engineering professionals to ensure that minority
students are successful in their undergraduate studies and are
effectively prepared to enter graduate school or the work force.
Minority engineering program celebrates 10 years of success
Participants in last year’s TIGERs Camp learn about filtering color from Kool-Aid in a chemical engineering lab.
Students involved with AT&TMEP pose for a photo at the anniversary event.
12 quarters over a total of five years. I needed the co-op job
for the money, but once I got into it, I wouldn’t have traded it for
anything. I feel I was blessed to have worked my way through
school.
Did you have a favorite professor . . . or a really bad course?
Well, you know, the first two years were really tough. I liked
professor [John] Scarborough in mechanical. I also had some
really good graduate teaching assistants, even though I don’t
remember their names now. I had a course, easy for me, an
elective in engineering economics that I’ve used my whole life.
I had another class that had one test, the final, that made up
the whole grade. My toughest course was music appreciation.
Was your focus always on engineering?
I decided on engineering in the ninth grade because a friend’s
uncle was an engineer . . . so I just got it in my mind. When I
graduated we had problems at Auburn – we were unaccred-
ited, so I really had to prove myself as an engineer, to prove
that I was just as smart as the graduates from other schools,
who were giving me a hard time. I thought the engineering
school was really good, but they had problems with facilities,
with how the faculty were treated . . . that’s long been ad-
dressed, of course.
Resources are always a challenge, which is something you’ve addressed as well, haven’t you?
I have supported Auburn for a long time now, and have been
active with athletics. When the current campaign came up I
added $1 million to my giving, to support student scholarships.
I believe in our students, in making opportunities available to
them – and I’d been waiting to make this gift for some time
when I was approached. Auburn took what I was when I was
a student, and brought me to a higher level – I want others to
have this opportunity as well.
What’s next?
I don’t know. I’m not old enough for golf yet, and I don’t plan
to retire. I’m doing what I like to do at work. I think that’s the
secret to happiness. Finding out what you like to do, then do-
ing it well.
What do you do?
I am chairman of Smith’s, Inc., of Dothan. We do commercial
and industrial heating, ventilation and air conditioning. I am
also chairman of Engineering Systems, a design build con-
struction company. I’ve also diversified into leasing and real
estate over the years.
How did you get to Dothan?
I was working for the Corps of Engineers in 1961 . . . and I was
home, laying in bed I think, reading the want ads in the Hunts-
ville Times. I saw one for a mechanical engineer in Dothan,
which was close to Newton, where I grew up in Dale County.
I interviewed on the following Saturday with Jim Smith, who
offered me the job.
How did it differ from the job you were in?
I was working 40 hours a week for $175 with good benefits.
Mr. Smith offered me $125 for what turned out to be 100 hours
a week, with one week of vacation a year. I loved it. It was the
best decision I’ve ever made. I told Mr. Smith that I wanted to
learn everything I could about the business, then go in busi-
ness for myself. He wanted to sell the business in a few years
so it was a positive instead of a negative in his hiring me.
And you bought it, or bought into it?
Three of us bought 47 percent of it in 1966, and the rest of it in
1970 . . . I was actually president of the company when I was
26. In the ’80s I began to diversify, moving into some manufac-
turing operations, from latex gloves to baker’s yeast to pellet-
ized fuels.
That involves some very different businesses, doesn’t it?
I have found out over the years that it’s the people that matter,
not the process. If you can get the right kind of people, they
will take care of the process for you. I’ve got to say that one
thing that disturbs me now is the inability to find engineers with
some fire in their belly. I don’t know why that is – I felt I had it
when I graduated.
How would you characterize your school days at Auburn?
Solid geometry is the first thing that comes to mind. By the
second week of that class I didn’t know what the instructor
was talking about – I needed some remedial work there and
in other places too. After remediation . . . from then on, I did
well. Even though I was in the co-op program, I graduated in
Five minutes with John Watson
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“Five minutes with . . .” is a new feature that will take a snapshot of some of our distin-guished alums, faculty, staff and students. Readers who want to suggest personalities who deserves a spotlight — or whom they are curious about — are encouraged to nomi-nate candidates via email at [email protected].
John Watson, our inaugural subject, is a Dothan resident who is known for his leader-ship throughout the wiregrass region as well as Auburn’s university community.
William J. Ward (Bill) is a native of Auburn
and a 1955 mechanical engineering gradu-
ate who is eager to see Auburn Engineering
reach its goals, in particular, its vision to be-
come one of the nation’s top engineering pro-
grams. As a result, Ward, a retired regional
manager of GE’s Southwest Power Systems
Sales, has pledged $250,000 for the College
of Engineering’s new Sen. Richard C. and
Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering
Technology. This gift will be used to name
the student gallery in the new mechanical
engineering building.
What is notable about Ward’s gift is the man-
ner in which he made it. After hearing about
the new Pension Protection Act, Ward realized the value of this
provision for his own investment strategy. “This law provided an
excellent opportunity for me to support the College of Engi-
neering with my
required minimum
distribution,” said
Ward. “I was able
to cover the RMD
requirement plus
an additional IRA
contribution tax free while fulfilling my Keystone pledge and
contributing to the new engineering complex.”
Ward’s pledge will be fulfilled by the IRA rollover distribution,
as well as a matching gift from the GE Foundation. “I desig-
nated a large portion of my distribution for the Shelby Center
because it is the college’s top priority right now. To become
a premier engineering program, the college has to have the
facilities and faculty to get there. I want Auburn to achieve this
goal, and the center is a major part of the plan,” explains Ward.
“During my career with GE, I always felt that my Auburn
heritage and education enabled me to compete and hold my
Bill Ward –Ensur ing Auburn Engineer ing’s future
own with engineers from any other university. My degree has
served me well and I am pleased that mechanical engineering
is a central part of the new engineering complex,” said Ward.
In completing his IRA distribution, Ward
explains that the process of making an IRA
distribution directly to a qualified charity is
simple. “I would absolutely encourage people
to consider this giving option. I also encour-
age people to check with their employer or
former employer to see if they would consider a matching gift,”
he said. “This is a great way to decrease future estate taxes
tax free and support a charitable organization at the same
time. The time to do this is now.”
Ward has been a significant contributor to the College of Engi-
neering, is a member of the Keystone Society, the Engineering
Eagles Society and a key volunteer for the Dallas Ft. Worth
“It Begins at Auburn” campaign. He retired from GE in 1996
after 41 years of service and lives in Dallas and Panama City
Beach. He and his late wife Martha have one son Joe, ’89, a
daughter-in-law Camille, ’89, and three grandchildren.
Bill and Martha Ward with Aubie at Bill’s 50th Golden Eagles Reunion in 2005.
“To become a premier engineer ing program, the col lege has to have the fac i l i t ies and facul ty to get there . I want Auburn to achieve th is goal . . .”
��
Giving back to Auburn Engineering has long been a driv-
ing force for many of our alumni. Their philanthropy enables
them to see the fruits of their own education as they ensure
the future for those who follow them. They give because they
understand the value of private support, and equally important,
they continue to find a variety of ways to demonstrate their
belief in Auburn Engineering’s potential.
In 2006, and again in 2007, Auburn Engineering alums have
taken advantage of a two-year provision that allows people
age 70½ or older to gift up to $100,000 per year from an Indi-
vidual Retirement Account (IRA) directly to a qualified charity.
Thanks to the Pension Protection Act of 2006, donors can now
make charitable donations from an IRA without the tax obli-
gations once incurred. This bill, in effect until December 31,
2007, offers donors a way to make a gift while they are living
and witness the benefits of their generosity.
“Friends of Auburn Engineering are always looking for ways
to support the college and our vision,” says Rob Wellbaum,
director of engineering development. “The IRA provision is a
new and unique way to benefit both the donor and
the college. It allows donors tax benefits
while providing the flexibility to
meet their personal chari-
table giving goals.”
Key points to the new bill include:
u Individuals must be 70½ and older by December 31, 2007
u Gifts cannot total more than $100,000
u Gifts must be made on or before December 31, 2007
u Funds must be transferred directly from an IRA or rollover IRA
u The recipient must be a qualifying charitable organization
While there is no charitable income tax deduction for the IRA
rollover, the distribution is not included in the individual’s tax-
able income, thus simplifying the donor’s tax return and saving
taxes.
“Even with the required minimum distribution, many people
are not able to reduce the value of their IRA without significant
income and estate taxes,” says George Willock, director of
planned giving at Auburn. “This is a tremendous opportunity for
those who have large IRAs.”
Distributions may not be used to fund charitable remainder
trusts or charitable gift annuities; and state tax treatments
may vary. Seek the advice of your tax and/or
legal counsel before deciding on a course
of action. For more information, contact
the Office of Engineering Develop-
ment at 334.844.2736 or visit
A l u m s d i s c o v e r n e w w a y o f g i v i n g
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The2007CupolareporTA Recognition of the 2006 Contributors of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Keystone Society
Engineering Eagles Society
Annual Gift Scholarships
Endowments
Planned Gifts
Corporations and Foundations
Three Auburn Engineering graduates and a company led by
an Auburn engineer were honored by the State of Alabama
Engineering Hall of Fame during ceremonies held this year in
Birmingham.
Julian Davidson is the founder and head of Davidson
Technologies in Huntsville, which he started in 1996, after a
distinguished career with the fed-
eral government that included an
appointment as the first director
of the Advanced Ballistic Missile
Defense Agency. A 1950 Au-
burn graduate with a bachelor’s
degree in electrical engineering,
Davidson has also held leading
roles with Burroughs Corporation
and Booz Allen Hamilton. Da-
vidson and his wife of 25 years,
Dorothy, are involved in numer-
ous civic organizations, including the National Museum of the
American Indian, the National Children’s Advocacy Center and
the Huntsville city symphony and art museum.
Cullman native Earl Foust, a 1971 Auburn graduate in
mechanical engineering, is known for his dedication to innova-
tion. As president of Valmont Newark,
America’s largest provider of spun
concrete, tubular steel and hybrid
poles used in electrical transmission,
distribution and substation systems,
Foust has led the company to become
a key alliance supplier to the major-
ity of utilities in the U.S., including
Southern Company and the Tennes-
see Valley Authority. An avid supporter
of engineering education and advancement, he has served
in various roles for the Birmingham Engineering Council, the
Alabama Society of Professional Engineers and the National
Society of Professional Engineers. Foust and his wife, Nan,
live in Vestavia Hills. Foust was nominated to the hall of fame
by UAB, where he holds a graduate degree.
Raymond Loyd is the founding
chairman of Derby Fabricating,
a leading die-cutter of nonmetal-
lic materials for automotive and
consumer appliance clients. He
also spent 15 years with General
Electric, where he led the devel-
opment of the Carry Cool, the
first room air conditioner to sell
profitably for under $100. A 1961
graduate in mechanical engi-
neering, Loyd is also a partner in
Purcell Staffing, a global temporary staffing firm; Flair Molded
Plastics, an injection molder for the automotive and appliance
industries; and Global Link Logistics, which offers freight logis-
tics and warehouse services. Long-time supporters of Auburn,
Loyd and his wife Eleanor currently reside in Louisville, Ky.
Brasfield & Gorrie was inducted in
the corporate category. With 21 spe-
cialized divisions and more than 3,000
employees, the company is one of the
largest privately held contracting firms
in the nation with almost $2 billion in
new construction set for this year. Miller
Gorrie, right, purchased the company
in 1964, seven years after graduating
from Auburn. The firm now has offices in
Birmingham, Atlanta, Orlando, Raleigh, Nashville and Jack-
sonville. Many Auburn engineers have chosen Brasfield and
Gorrie to be their career home, including the company’s chief
operating officer, Jeff Stone, a 1979 civil engineering graduate
and former chair of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council.
G.W. Jones & Sons Consulting Engineers was also
cited in the corporate category. This Huntsville-based firm is
headed by Mark Yokley, a 1985 graduate in civil engineering,
who serves as president, and Ray Jones, a 1957 graduate in
agricultural science, who is chairman of the board. Founded in
1886, the company has been a major force in Madison County
and north Alabama and provides engineering services on a
wide variety of projects.
Distinguished graduates bring recognition to Auburn at Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame
� �
“I joined the Keystone Society because my engineering degree has been instrumental in my having a successful and fulfilling career. I love Auburn and want to see it continue to be the fine university it has always been. My Auburn experience got me started on the right track and my engineering degree opened many doors. I want my contributions to be used in whatever manner the College of Engineering determines they are most needed at any given time.
I believe membership in the Keystone Society shows to current and future engineering students the value alumni place on their Auburn Engineering educations and illustrates their lifelong commitment to Auburn. I hope it encourages future alumni to give back to Auburn Engineering when they are in a position to do so.”
Olivia Kelley Owen ’77Civil EngineeringUpstream Global IS Manager, ExxonMobil Corp.
“It is because of what I learned at Auburn that I have been able to succeed financially, and when I retire I will devote a lot of my time to help the institution. I am giving back to Auburn so that others can learn as I have and are able to take advantage of the many important opportunities it offers.”
Minga C. (Push) Lagrone Jr. ’51Industrial Management Owner, Jellico Realty Co.
“My family is an Auburn family. My father Doug is a 1953 graduate in mechani-cal engineering and he instilled in me an appreciation of the profession of engineering and what it can do for the development of our state and region. As a 1973 graduate, also in mechanical engineering, I share this same belief . . . as well as the desire to give back to Auburn to help fully develop the potential of this great institution and its engineering program. Building for tomorrow is why I chose to join the Keystone Engineering Society.”
Charles D. McCrary ’73Mechanical EngineeringPresident and CEO, Alabama Power Co.
“While attending API, I was never asked to give anything back. However, when I met [former dean and president] William Walker, he did a great job of convincing me that each of us should support Auburn. Then Dean Benefield took up the chal-lenge of supporting the College of Engineering in a way no one ever dreamed of. Auburn University has enormous support of its alumni. If each of us will continue to support the college, we will see the emergence of a school without bounds.”
William J. (Bill) Cutts ’55Industrial ManagementPresident and CEO, American Tank and Vessel
“Receiving a scholarship coupled with the co-op program was truly a dream come true; being able to supplement my major with chemical engineering courses added versatility to my education. As a senior offi-cer in public corporations — and after founding my own private business — I have found that the engineering skills I acquired at Auburn always put me at the top. A number of years ago we were pleased to start giving Auburn scholar-ships as a means of paying back this debt. As we celebrate our golden wedding anniversary this year the Keystone was an appropriate gift for us to give to Auburn Engineering. We hope that it expresses to Dean Benefield our confidence in his leadership. And, as our Auburn experi-ence continues, I have to say that the best is yet to come.”
Charles E. and Carol Ann Gavin III ’59 Textile ManagementChairman, MFG Chemical, Inc.
The college’s Keystone Society consists of alumni and friends who recognize the importance of private support in our ongoing
success. These members have risen to the challenge of moving the college boldly into the future by making the highest commit-
ment to annual giving — $50,000 or more — to the college’s unrestricted fund over a five-year period. These gifts enable Auburn
Engineering to take advantage of emerging educational opportunities.
New Keystone members
� �
1934
Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Watkins Hutson
1935
Mr. William S. Massa Sr.
1937
Dr. Daniel Webster Duncan
1938
Mr. Dwain Gregory Luce
1939
Col. James H. Boykin
Dr. Arthur Wiggins Cooper
1940
Mr. Clarence Fletcher Horn
1941
Mr. M. Dow Sellers
1942
Mr. Robert Bruce Allan
Mr. William E. Cannady
Mr. William Hyatt Harwell
Mr. John T. Lutz
Mr. James Hugh Nichols
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Frederick Rainey
Mr. Grady Lawrence Smith
1943
Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Ellis Jr.
Mr. C. Warren Fleming
Mr. Will M. Gregory
Mr. Robert Harding Harris
Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Hopkins Jr.
Mr. Nimrod W. E. Long
Mr. Sabert Oglesby Jr.
Lt. Col. Walter Buel Patton
Mr. & Mrs. James Madison Smith
Mr. Warren Stephen Sockwell
Mr. Leonard H. White Jr.
1944
Mr. William A. Boone*
Mr. William H. Lyons Jr.
Mr. Wayman E. Vanderford
1946
Mr. E. Erskine Hopkins
Mr. Ben M. Radcliff*
Mr. Dean Sessamen
1947
Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Cater Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Walter Wanzel Griffin
Lt. Gen. Robert Hails
Mr. William R. Hanlein
Mr. Creighton C. Lee
Mrs. Margaret P. Luquire
Mr. & Mrs. Albert James Smith Jr.
1948
Mr. Sam B. Alison
Mr. Leonard Dean Braswell
Mr. Franklin Lee Jones
Mr. Seth H. Mitchell Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. F. Brooks Moore
Mr. & Mrs. Dabney Pate Murrill
Mr. Richard Davison Quina
Dr. Ruel Russell Jr.
1949
Mr. Thomas O. Davidson
Mr. Joseph E. Haley
Mr. Elmer Carlton Hill
Mr. & Mrs. Richard I. Kearley Jr.
Mr. William Franklin Land
Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Lowman
Mr. Norman R. McAnnally
Mr. John F. Meagher Jr.
Mr. Lawrence Montgomery Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Raymond T. Roser
Mr. Lewie F. M. Tanner Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Harold P. Ward
Mr. Edward Thomas Williams
1950
Mr. Carroll L. Carter
Dr. & Mrs. Julian Davidson
Mr. Toon R. Ferrell
Mrs. Carol Dorrough Hart
Mr. & Mrs. Clarence H. Hornsby Jr.
Mr. James Hunnicutt
Mr. John M. McKenzie
Mr. William Burch Reed
Mr. Mack Allen Riley
Mr. Myron Jackson Sasser
Mr. Joseph W. Wilson
1951
Mr. Arthur C. Daughtry
Mr. Minga C. LaGrone Jr.
Mr. Leonard L. Mitchum Jr.
Mr. Ralph O. Walton Jr.
Dr. Earle Carter Williams
Mr. Robert M. Winter
The Engineering Eagles Society consists of loyal supporters who make gifts of
$1,000 or more each year to Auburn Engineering or its academic units. These gifts
provide vital resources for creating and enhancing programs in which our faculty
and students thrive. With two giving levels, Associate Eagle and Eagle, this society
recognizes those whose gifts elevate Auburn Engineering to new heights and help
continue our tradition of excellence.
Engineering Eagles Society members
Dr. Julian Davidson ’50Electrical EngineeringPresident and CEODavidson Technologies, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Davis ’59Electrical EngineeringManager, retiredBoeing
Mr. Ralph Godfrey ’64Electrical EngineeringSenior Vice President, retired3Com Corporation
Mr. Hank Hayes ’65Electrical EngineeringExecutive Vice President, retiredTexas Instruments
Mr. George Hairston ’67Industrial EngineeringPresident and CEOSouthern Nuclear Operating Company
Maj. and Mrs. Jim Hoskins ’81Electrical EngineeringPresident and CEOScitor Corporation
Mr. Keith King ’58Civil EngineeringPresident, CEO and Chairman of the BoardVolkert & Associates
Mr. Oliver Kingsley ’66Engineering PhysicsPresident and COO, retiredExelon Corporation
Mr. John MacFarlane ’72Mechanical EngineeringManager, Technology Sales and LicensingExxonMobil Research and Engineering
Dr. Mike McCartney ’57Civil EngineeringPresident McCartney Construction Company, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe McMillan ’58 Chemical EngineeringPresident, retiredExxonMobil Coal and Minerals
Mr. Jim McMillan ’61Chemical EngineeringWashington Representative, retiredExxonMobil
Mr. Bill McNair ’68Electrical EngineeringVice President, Network Operations, retiredBellSouth Corporation
Mr. Howard Palmes ’60Electrical EngineeringVice President, Network Operations, retiredBellSouth Corporation
Mr. Bill Reed ’50Mechanical EngineeringOwner and ChairmanSystem Controls, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Al Smith, Jr. ’47Mechanical EngineeringPartnerBrightStar Group, Ltd.
Paul Spina, Jr.Electrical EngineeringOwner and CEOSpina Enterprises
Mr. Jeff Stone ’79Civill EngineeringCOOBrasfield & Gorrie, LLC
Mr. George Uthlaut ’54Chemical EngineeringSenior Vice President, Operations, retiredEnron Oil and Gas Company
Mr. Bill Ward ’55Mechanical EngineeringGeneral Chairman, Utilities Sales, retiredGeneral Electric Company
Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Wiggins ’62Mechanical EngineeringPresident, retiredTosco Refining Company
Mr. and Mrs. Walt Woltosz ’69Aerospace EngineeringChairman, President and CEOSimulations Plus, Inc.
Keystone Society members
* Deceased bold indicates new member
� �
1962
Mr. William Albritton Jr.
Mr. David N. Brown
Mr. & Mrs. Wiley Mitchell Cauthen
Dr. Ralph S. Cunningham
Mr. Glenn Harold Guthrie
Dr. & Mrs. Elmer Beseler Harris
RADM. Tim McCall Jenkins
Mr. Donald R. Luger
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Taylor Parker
Mr. Thomas Saunders Sr.
Mr. & Mrs. Dwight L. Wiggins Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Gary E. Woodham
1963
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Clark Evans
Mr. William G. Goff Jr.
Mr. Lamar T. Hawkins
Mr. John Steele Henley II
Mr. Thomas W. Lawrence Jr.
Mr. Charles N. Moody
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry F. Thomas
Mr. Wendell W. Whiteside
1964
Mr. Donald Edward Arnett*
Mr. & Mrs. Harry G. Craft Jr.
Mr. Ralph B. Godfrey
Mr. Thomas R. Johnson Jr.
Mr. Gordon B. Mohler
Ms. Nancy Whiteside Payne
Mr. Jerry Franklin Smith
1965
Dr. David B. Bradley
Mr. & Dr. Larry M. Curtis
Mr. William F. Hayes
Mr. Jon W. Kilgore
Mr. & Mrs. D. L. Merrill Jr.
Mr. W. Russell Newton
Mr. & Mrs. Steve P. Osburne
Mr. & Mrs. David Scarborough
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas D. Stringfellow
Mr. J. Ernest Warren
1966
Dr. Larry D. Benefield
Mr. & Mrs. Paul R. Flowers Jr.
Mr. David P. Henry Jr.
Mr. Oliver D. Kingsley Jr.
Mr.& Mrs. Jimmy W. McGaha
1967
Mr. John H. Cassidy
Mr. & Mrs. H. Wendell Ellis
Mr. Charles E. Fuller III
Mr. W. George Hairston III
Mr. Albert E. Hay
Mr. James L. Rayburn
Mr. David C. Sjolund
Mr. William James Smith
Mr. R. Conner Warren
1968
Mrs. Marianne Busbee
Mr. Johnnie M. Hamilton
Dr. Terry Edwin Lawler
Mr. James H. McDaniel
Mr. Allen Coite Rice
Mr. Robert G. Vick Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. John Michael Weigle
Mr. Robert H. Wynne Jr.
1969
Mr. Dwight T. Brown
Mr. & Mrs. Otto Peter Cerny
Mr. Ronald M. Dykes
Mr. Douglas Paul Marshall
Mr. & Mrs. William K. Newman
Mr. Robert Lyons Prince
Mr. & Mrs. David I. Rach
Mr. William Leon Reynolds
Mr. Marvin Fred Terrell Jr.
Mr. Richard Turner Wade
Mr. & Mrs. Walter S. Woltosz
1970
Mr. Malcolm N. Beasley
Mr. & Mrs. Stanley E. Bryant
Mrs. Veronica Smith Chesnut
Mr. Douglas H. Cooper
Dr. Martin C. Glover
Mr. Tommy G. Hendrick
Mr. Thomas Farrell Higgins
Mr. James A. Humphrey
Mr. W. Blake Jeffcoat
Dr. Leon F. McGinnis Jr.
Mr. George A. Menendez
Mr. W. Allen Reed
Mr. Edgar L. Reynolds
Mr. John Albert Smyth Jr.
1971
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph F. Barth III
Mr. William Scott Brown
Mr. & Mrs. Joe W. Forehand Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Earl Richard Foust
Mr. Thomas D. Senkbeil
Mr. David Slovensky
Mr. James Lewis Starr
Mr. W Perry Stowe
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Morgan Waters
Mr. Joseph D. Weatherford
1972
Mr. & Mrs. Glen D. Atwell
Dr. David Gilbert Burks
Mr. Daniel M. Bush
Mr. & Mrs. Joe Mark Chambers Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Richard I. Chenoweth
Mr. Daniel M. Cook
Mr. James A. Dowdy Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Steven Ray Duttry
Mr. John W. Gibbs
Mr. Michael H. Googe
Mr. & Mrs. Edwin L. Lewis
Mr. & Mrs. John A. MacFarlane
Mr. Stephen R. Miller
Mr. Warren R. Pollard
Mr. Dewitt Uptagrafft
Col. James S. Voss
Mr. Larry Russell White
Mr. R. Duke Woodson
1973
Mr. & Mrs. Felix C. Brendle Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. John Wendell Chambliss
Mr. & Mrs. Wendell Harris Duke
Mr. Gregory Lamar Gibson
1952
Mr. Sylvester W. Brock Jr.
Mr. Harry C. Handlin
Mr. William R. Haycraft
Mr. Carver Gager Kennedy
Dr. & Mrs. Raleigh B. Kent Jr.
Lt. Gen. & Mrs. Forrest S. McCartney
Mr. Everett W. Strange Jr.
1953
Mr. Walter R. Day Jr.
Mr. Joseph S. Horsley
Mr. Leonard A. Morgan
Mr. John Albert Taylor
Mr. James D. Tatum
1954
Mr. & Mrs. Fred N. Beason
Mr. Russell F. Boren
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas William Caine
Mr. James H. Carroll Jr.
Mr. Donald E. Dennis
Mr. Lewis H. Eberdt Jr.
Mr. Sibbley P. Gauntt
Dr. & Mrs. James G. Mitchell
Mr. Charles L. Palmer
Mr. & Mrs. Fred H. Rhinehardt
Mr. & Mrs. George E. Uthlaut
1955
Mr. William J. Cutts
Mr. & Mrs. James R. Evans
Dr. James L. Lowry
Mr. James J. Mallett
Mr. James Burton Odom
Mr. & Mrs. John S. Parke
Mr. J. Norman Pease II
Mr. & Mrs. Ray Albert Robinson
Mr. Charles E. Sellers
Mr. Claude W. Swader
Mr. John Thomas Walter Jr.
Mr. William J. Ward
Mr. David E. Wingard
1956
Mr. Jack Kelso Allison
Mr. William H. Barlow
Mr. & Mrs. Billy G. Barnes
Dr. Dwight S. Bond
Mr. J. Edward Chapman Jr.
Mr. William M. Ingram
Mr. Charles Mathias Jager
Dr. & Mrs. James Tracy O’Rourke Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. Donald Jacob Spring
Mr. Lois Ray Taunton
Mr. Edward F. Williams III
1957
Gen. Jimmie V. Adams
Mr. John Rudy Bray
Mr. John W. Brown
Mr. Stanley G. DeShazo
Mr. Vernon W. Gibson Jr.
Mr. M. Miller Gorrie
Mr. Bill M. Guthrie
Mr. T. P. Huddleston Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Fred W. Mace
Mr. Gary C. Martin
Dr. Michael B. McCartney
Mrs. Joanne Palm McClelland
Mr. Walter F. Morris
Mr. & Mrs. Roy A. Richardson
Mr. Johnnie V. Robertson
Mr. & Mrs. James S. Roy
Mr. Cecil C. Spear Jr.
Mr. Michael Larry Tuggle
Lt. Col. Ralph C. Wilkinson
1958
Mr. William M. Brackney
Mr. & Mrs. Henry M. Burt Jr.
Dr. Dwight Carlisle Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. James Hugh Corbitt
Mr. & Mrs. George Edward Gullatt
Mr. Roger R. Hemminghaus
Mr. T. Keith King
Mr. & Mrs. Harry A. Manson
Mr. Benny J. McDaniel
Mr. & Mrs. Joe T. McMillan
Mr. James L. Murrell
Mr. & Mrs. James Louis Peeler
Mr. Ellie Ray
Mr. Robert Clyde Smith
1959
Mr. Gerald B. Andrews Sr.
Mr. & Mrs. James O’Neal Ballenger
Mr. & Mrs. Roger J. Campbell
Mr. Clarence J. Chappell III
Mr. Harry Arthur Edge Jr.
Mr. Norman S. Faris Jr.
Mr. Charles E. Gavin III
Dr. Samuel L. Ginn
Mr. George H. Godwin Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. John K. Jones
Mr. Gerald G. McGlamery Sr.
Mr. Royce E. Mitchell
Mr. & Mrs. Wynton Rex Overstreet
Mr. Albert Miles Redd Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Wayne Ringer
Mr. Axel Roth
Mr. & Mrs. Leroy L. Wetzel
Mr. J. Frank Travis
1960
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Glenn Avant
Dr. William E. Biles
Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin F. Carr Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Elliott L. Dean Jr.
Dr. George J. Dezenberg
Mr. Edwin W. Evans
Mr. & Mrs. William B. Millis
Mr. Howard E. Palmes
Mr. Gordon M. Ross
Mr. & Mrs. John M. Sikes
Mr. James H. Stewart Jr.
1961
Mr. & Mrs. Joe A. Akin Jr.
Mr. Leiland M. Duke Jr.
Dr. J. David Irwin
Mr. & Mrs. George N. Jones
Mr. Samuel B. Ligon
Mr. & Mrs. Raymond E. Loyd
Mr. James D. McMillan
Mr. Alton B. Overstreet
Mr. Joel N. Pugh
Mr. Philip S. Zettler
bold indicates new member bold indicates new member
� �
1988
Mr. J. Gregory Anderson
Mr. James Michael Arnold
Mr. Philip G. Fraher
Mr. Patrick Jerome Quirk
Mr. Lee Wiley Richards
Mr. Richard Quina Sanchez
1989
Mr. Michael Harley Crowder
Ms. Ann Rebecca Guthrie
Dr. William Ernst Josephson
Mrs. Shannon Handegan Lisecki
Mr. Jeffrey Carroll Martin
Mr. & Mrs. Clarence T. Milldrum III
Mr. Mark Eric Ogles
1990
Mr. Brian Howard Hunt
Mr. Brian Thomas Owens
1991
Mr. Ruskin Clegg Green
Mr. & Mrs. David Troy Veal
1993
Mr. & Mrs. John Robert Fleck
Lt. Cmde. & Mrs. Jerry Dean Foster
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Thomas Hendrick
Mr. & Mrs. Erik L. Naumann
Mrs. Deana Smith Seigler
Mr. Robert W. Wellbaum III
1994
Mr. J. Travis Capps Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Joel Kramer
Mr. Patrick Joseph Quick
1995
Mr. & Mrs. Diaco Aviki
Dr. & Mrs. Gerard Albert Davis
1996
Mr. Patrick T. Scarborough
Mr. Scott Philip Sheumaker
Mr. John Raymond Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Alan Wilson
1997
Mr. Gilbert Fournelle
Dr. Andrew Palmer Hanson
Dr. Jerard Taggart Smith
1998
Mr. Kirk William Jones
2000
Mr. Benjamin M. Carmichael
Mr. Marshall Chandler McLeod
2002
Mr. James Clayton Hamblen III
2003
Mr. Nathan L. Hanks
Ms. Lauren Henderson Tubbs
Mr. Trent Edward Williams
2004
Mr. Charles H. Ping III
2005
Ms. Kathleen R. Donovan
Mr. & Mrs. William H. Wilson Jr.
2006
Mr. Joshua Dale Jones
FRIENDS
Mr. & Mrs. Ted G. Achorn
Mr. Harold L. Airington
Mr. James Thomas Alley
Mr. Wicky H. Black
Mrs. Shirley A. Bradford
Mr. & Mrs. James S. Bradwell
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Mark Buford
Mrs. Mary Caley
Mr. Richard A. Campbell
Mr. & Mrs. David E. Carnahan
Mr. Charles T. Clark
Mrs. Willie Russell Clark
Mrs. Sherry Cooper
Ms. Sandra K. Couch
Dr. Malcolm Crocker
Dr. James H. Cross
Mr. Calvin Cutshaw
Mr. Joseph M. Farley
Mr. Alain Gallet
Dr. Charles H. Goodman
Mrs. Geneva Grandy
Mr. Willie T. Grant
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hanley
Ms. Brenda A. Hayes*
Mr. Martial A. Honnell
Mrs. Sue R. Huddleston
Mr. J. Philip E. Jones
Mr. Jim Killian
Ms. Catherine M. Kolar
Mr. George Landegger
Mrs. Camilla Lowry*
Mr. Charles Albert Machemehl Jr.
Dr. Nels Madsen
Dr. Joe M. Morgan
Dr. Bruce R. Paton Jr.
Mr. Hunter Andrew Payne
Dr. & Mrs. Peter Schwartz
Ms. Ruth Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Stark
Dr. Charles Eugene Stroud
Mr. Jon Stryker
Ms. Ronda Stryker
Mrs. William V. Swan
Mr. Mike Synyard
Dr. Mrinal Thakur
Mrs. Mary Lou Tolar
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Hawley Tuberville
Mr. & Mrs. James B. Webb
Ms. Mary Beth Weed
Mr. Stephen E. Wilson
Mr. Michael A Wilson Sr.
Dr. Ralph Hing-Chung Zee
Ms. Frances Zwenig
Mr. & Mrs. Steven Max Lee
Mr. Charles Douglas McCrary
Mrs. Marsha H. Reardon
Mr. Richard Young Roberts
Mr. John Crawford Robertson
Mr. Oliver W. Stuardi
Mr. W. Karl Vollberg
Mr. James Wade Wesson
1974
Mr. Ray A. Dimit
Capt. Michael R. Fosdick
Capt. Davis R. Gamble Jr.
Mr. Ronald Craig Lipham
Mr. Charles Philip Saunders
Mr. & Mrs. William E. Warnock Jr.
Mr. Calder D. Kohlhaas
1975
Mr. Pete L. Anderson
Dr. Ricky Bradford
Mr. Robert F. Bynum
Mr. Ronald Ugee Harris
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph S. Johnson Jr.
Mr. John H. Klingelhoeffer
Mr. Thomas D. Lampkin
Mr. William Tom Nabors
Mr. Jack B. Porterfield III
1976
Mr. Michael A. DeMaioribus
Mr. David E. Dixon
Mr. Dennis W. Henderson
Mr. Timmons S. McClanahan
Mr. Michael McKown
Mr. Wayne B. Nelson III
Mr. Kenneth A. Powell
Mr. Randy Leon Smith
Mr. Michael B. Wimberly
Mr. D. Dale York
1977
Mr. L. David Compton
Mr. & Mrs. C. Houston Elkins Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. T. Gordy Germany
Mr. Robert D. Hendrix II
Mrs. Melissa Brown Herkt
Mr. David R. Motes
Mr. David Kenneth Owen
Mrs. Olivia Kelley Owen
Mr. & Mrs. Frederick A. Pehler Jr.
Mr. Harry Glen Rice
Mr. Douglas B. Tambor
1978
Mrs. Amy Thomas Dobbs
Mr. Lum M. Loo
Mr. Henry W. Poellnitz III
Mr. William W. Rowell
Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Varagona
1979
Mr. George G. Ard
Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Wilkerson Diehl
Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Steve Hill
Mr. William A. Lovell Jr.
Mrs. Karen Harris Rowell
Mr. Jeffrey Ira Stone
Mr. David Carriell Sulkis
Mr. & Mrs. Mark David Vanstrum
1980
Mr. H. Lynn Dell
Mr. Joseph Lamar Holliday
Mrs. Larke Lanier
Mrs. Laura Ledyard McCartney
Mr. John Timothy McCartney
Mr. Charles Donald Miller
Dr. Robert Mark Nelms
Mr. G. Nolan Sparks Jr.
Ms. Denise Dale Wood
1981
Mr. James Eugene Ard
Mr. Thomas Keith Benton
Mr. James L. Cooper Jr.
Ms. Karen Hayes
Mr. Patrick Higginbotham
Mr. James M. Hoskins
Mr. & Mrs. David Tarrant Lee
Mr. Fred F. Newman III
Mr. Kenneth Abner Smith
Dr. & Mrs. James Michael Stallings
Mr. Jeffrey Mason Young
1982
Mr. Shawn E. Cleary
Mrs. Anne M. Cleary
Mr. Timothy Donald Cook
Mr. Maury D. Gaston
Mr. Donald James Parke
Lt. Col. Mary F. Riddell
Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Patterson Ryan
Mr. Scott Alan Yost
1983
Mr. Russell Lee Carbine
Mrs. Donna H. Harris
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Austin Miller
Mr. & Mrs. John Paul Raispis
1984
Mr. James B. Burrows Jr.
Mr. M. James Gorrie
Mr. Kenneth C. Horne
Mrs. Ann McCamy Johnson
Dr. Gerald G. McGlamery Jr.
Mr. Douglas E. Phillpott
Mrs. Tracy C. Phillpott
1985
Mr. Timothy John Dwyer
Mr. Benjamin Edwin Robuck
1986
Mr. Scott W. Ayers
Mr. & Mrs. Gary Ross Godfrey
Mr. David McCoy Kudlak
Mr. George Lee McGlamery
Mr. Clinton C. McGraw
Mr. Tracey Duane Parish
Mr. Martin John Stap
Mrs. Laura Crowe Turley
1987
Mr. Jeffrey Curtis Harris
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Ray Ingram
Mr. & Mrs. David Emory Murphy
Mr. Glenn Stewart Phillips
Mr. Stuart Chris Shirley
Mr. Harold L. Wilson
* Deceased bold indicates new member bold indicates new member
�0 ��
Endowments are gifts that provide Auburn Engineering with perpetual in-come. The Auburn University Foundation, in accordance with AUF policy, invests the principle of the endowed fund. Only the allocated income from the investment of gifts is used to fund programs and initiatives designated by the donor, thus providing an ever-increasing stream of funding. Endowments are essential for the long-term security and growth of the college.
Joe W. Forehand/Accenture Professorship
Clarence C. Adams Jr. Endowmment
Fred & Becky Pehler Endowment
Buckeye Technologies Scholarship Endowment
Harold & Wynelle Ward Endowment
Henry M. Burt Jr. Endowed Presidential Chair
John H. & Gail P. Watson Endowment
Frank & Lauren Hamner Endowment
Lee W. Richards Scholarship Endowment
Joseph S. Johnson Jr. Scholarship
William Dwight Bond Endowment
Joseph F. & Gail Barth Endowment
CSSE Industrial Advisory Board Endowment
Nancy B. & Benjamin F. Carr Jr. Endowment
Kenneth B. & Sarah S. Roy Endowed Scholarship
Dr. Rex Kelly Rainer Sr. Endowment
James H. Stewart Endowed Fund for Excellence
Fred & Juanita Mace Endowment for Scholarship
Senkbeil Endowed Fund for Excellence
Shaw Industries Endowed Scholarship
Joe W. Forehand Jr. Endowment for Scholarship
Cellnet Technology, Inc. Annual Scholarship
Dr. Sandra G. Solaiman Endowment
Bill and Lana McNair Fund for Excellence
Reynolds Professorship in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Planned gifts are pledged today to benefit the college in the future. These gifts take many forms such as bequests, life income plans, chari-table gift annuities, IRA distributions and gifts of life insurance. Planned gifts enable donors to manage their investments while providing a bright future for Auburn Engineering.
Mr. Gerald B. Andrews Sr. ’59
Mr. Paul C. Box
Dr. Dwight Carlisle Jr. ’58
Dr. Samuel L. Ginn ’59
Mr. Joseph S. Horsley ’53
Maj. James M. Hoskins ’81
Mr. James A. Humphrey ’70
Mr. Charles Albert Machemehl Jr.
Mr. James Thomas McMichael ’45
Mr. A.J. Ronyak
Mr. Joseph A. Saiia ’69
Mr. John M. Sikes ’60
Mr. James H. Stewart Jr. ’60
Mr. George E. Uthlaut ’54
Planned Gifts
In support of the pursuit of excellence that has become synonymous with Auburn Engineering, the following contributed $25,000 or more to the college in 2006.
Accenture Foundation, Inc.
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
Alabama Power Foundation, Inc.
Alabama Textile Education Foundation
American Cast Iron Pipe Company
BellSouth Corporation
Buckeye Technologies Inc
Carroll Air Systems, Inc.
Cellnet Technology, Inc.
Charles D. McCrary Family Legacy
ChevronTexaco
Comer Foundation
ExxonMobil Corporation
Gerdau Ameristeel
Hoar Construction, Inc.
International Institute of Acoustics & Vibrations
MAK Technologies, Inc.
NAPA Education Foundation, Inc.
Redd Family Foundation, Inc.
Shaw Industries
Siemens VDO Automotive
Telcordia Technologies
The Ginn Family Foundation
Total System Services, Inc.
Vodafone-US Foundation
REWARD YOURSELFand auburn university
You can hear the cheering with every purchase.
The new Spirit of Auburn credit card helps increase Auburn’s scholar-ship fund, sharing the Auburn spirit by benefiting students who most deserve it. So when you use your card, you ultimately help shape the future of Auburn, not to mention the world beyond it.
That means you’ll enjoy redeeming all the points you earn for cash back or travel with the card even more. One good turn deserves another.
For more information about the Spirit of Auburn Card, responsible spending, and to apply visit:
www.auburn.edu/SpiritOfAuburnCard
This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA Card-Services, N.A. MasterCard is a federally registered service mark of MasterCard International Inc. and is used by the issuer pursu-ant to license. Platinum Plus is a registered trademark of FIA Card Services, N.A. © 2007 FIA Card Services
Annual gift scholarship funds are given each year and are not main-tained by principle or earnings, therefore, the number of scholarships that the college can award annually varies depending on donor contribu-tions. The annual scholarships provided by these gifts help to ensure education opportunities for students within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.
Jack M. Chapman Annual Scholarship in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Tim Cook Annual Leadership Scholarship in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Annual Scholarshipin the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Gerdau Ameristeel Annual Scholarshipin the Department of Civil Engineering
Ginn Family Trust Wireless Engineering Annual Scholarship in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
John E. and Patti Gipson/Penta Research, Inc. Annual Scholarship in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
EndowmentsGift Scholarships
P a v i n g t h e w a yBe on the lookout this summer for an opportunity to support the new Shelby Center through the purchase of pavers and bricks that can be engraved with per-sonalized wording. It’s a unique way to honor a friend, graduate, professor, colleague . . . or even yourself. The bricks and pavers will be located in the vicinity of the Carroll Commons in the complex’s central courtyard.
Bricks will be offered at various levels of support for a limited time. Watch your mail and our web site www.eng.auburn.edu for more information in the coming months.
Corporations and Foundations
We have made every attempt to include all donors in the Auburn Engineering family. However, if you are not listed, or are aware of another donor who is not, please contact the Auburn University Office of Engineering Development at 107 Ramsay Hall, Auburn, AL 36849; 334.844.1192
For a listing of donors who gave prior to 2006, please view previous issues of The Cupola Report at www.eng.auburn.edu/cupolareport
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Huntsville high-tech firm Dynetics has made a $225,000 investment in naming a
student lounge in the new Sen. Richard C. Shelby and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center
for Engineering Technology that will provide engineering students with a comfortable
space to study and socialize.
“We hire a significant number of Auburn students and wanted to do something espe-
cially for this group,” explains Mike DeMaioribus, senior vice president at Dynetics.
“We recognize that the education of students occurs not only in classrooms and
laboratories, but also in casual encounters between student and teacher.”
Located on the first floor of the $108 million com-
plex, this comfortable gathering area is designed
to foster collegiality, providing a place for engi-
neering undergraduate and graduate students to
interact with each other and with faculty.
Partnerships such as the one between the
university and the corporate and foundation com-
munity offer tremendous benefit to students, faculty, community, state and society.
Cooperative research efforts, and co-op, internship and mentoring programs are
just a few more ways that the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the business
community work together to advance engineering education.
Nationwide, corporate donations account for just over 5 percent of all giving.
In 2006, corporate donations accounted for just under 10 percent of the gifts to
Auburn Engineering. Corporate partnerships range from support for scholarships,
fellowships and professorships, as well as for programs such as the AT&T Minority
Engineering Program and the War Eagle Motor Sports program.
“Auburn engineering recognizes the importance of strong relation-
ships with our corporate and foundation partners, and focuses on
benefits and outcomes that take into consideration the goals and
objectives of both the university and the donor,” explains Dan Bush,
associate director of development for the college. “These partner-
ships are an important component of our success.”
To learn more about engineering naming opportunities and other
ways to support the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering log on to
eng.auburn.edu/needs or contact Ron Evans at 334.844.2736 or
DyneticsThe Power of Solutions™
Partnering for the Future
“ We recognize that the education of students occurs not only in classrooms and labora-tories, but also in casu-al encounters between student and teacher.”
The area shaded in blue represents the Dynetics student lounge
Samuel Ginn College of EngineeringAuburn University108 Ramsay HallAuburn, AL 36849-5330
NonprofitOrganizationU.S. PostagePAIDPermit #1390Mobile, AL
ENM0706C01 www.auburn.edu Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.