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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 editor@eng.auburn.edu.

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

��

New Name for Aerospace: Davis Hall

A young Buddy Davis at control panel

��

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.

��

�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 kylekat@auburn.edu 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

����

“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 editor@eng.auburn.edu.

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

plannedgiving@auburn.edu.

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

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“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

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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

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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

evansr2@auburn.edu.

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.