When Joe Morgan leaves us in a couple of months, it will be the end of an era for the College of Engineering. Joe, a member of the civil engineering faculty who has served as associate dean for academics since 2000, has logged four decades of service to Auburn University.
Joe's contribution and importance to the college is such that I've often joked that if he left, I would follow him out the door. He taught me during his first quarter on the faculty at Auburn in 1971, which was my last as a graduate student. Both of us have specialties in environmental engineering, and have collaborated over the years.
He has been an invaluable resource in many other ways as well, not only for myself, but for the university as a whole. His counsel has been sought by hundreds of students during their academic studies at Auburn, and by many more as they began their careers. His advice has always been carefully considered, balanced and objective.
Auburn University is teaching the next generation of plant engineers for the nuclear power generation industry. This fall, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering will add a 17-hour nuclear power generation systems minor to its curriculum, offering students a hands-on opportunity to understand the industry's licensing, engineering and basic construction requirements, processes and techniques. Power plant models, nuclear power integration into the national electrical grid and common reactor plant operations are also featured.
"Auburn engineering is known for a hands-on approach in the classroom, and by adding this minor the college is following that same guiding principle to educate the next generation of civil, mechanical, electrical, industrial and chemical engineers for careers in the growing nuclear power generation industry," says Dean Larry Benefield.
Faculty will teach five multidisciplinary courses that provide an overview of nuclear power generation system capabilities. Topics will include basic nuclear theory and operations in mechanical, electrical and chemistry control, as well as plant safety regulations and reliability and radiological health. Students will go beyond the basics to explore the challenges presented by nuclear power generation, including safety and health regulation, engineering and construction practices and systems operation and maintenance. They will have structured programs at today's nuclear power generating facilities and network with industry experts while conducting site visits. Students will also have the opportunity to earn practical experience through internship and co-op positions with leading nuclear power generation organizations.
"This minor is unique in its breadth and structure because nuclear operators and support companies provided direct input into program design prior to its development," says Oliver Kingsley, member of the National Academy of Engineering and associate dean for special projects in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. "Graduates will be able to begin employment in the commercial nuclear power generation industry with a distinct advantage from day one on the job."
For additional information on Auburn's nuclear power generation systems minor visit www.eng.auburn.edu/nuclear
Alabama's premier higher education institutions have joined together to create the Aerospace Consortium of Alabama to better serve the state and its growing aerospace industry. Auburn University, the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama-Huntsville, are working together to create opportunities for state-of-the-art research, share resources and specialized equipment, enhance graduate outreach programs and support K-12 partnerships throughout Alabama. Read more >>
Anton Schindler, faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering and director of Auburn University's Highway Research Center, has been awarded the 2011 American Concrete Institute's (ACI) Wason Medal for concrete materials research. He was recognized at ACI's spring convention in Tampa, Fla. The award is presented annually to authors of a peer-reviewed paper that reports original research on concrete materials and their use, or a discovery that advances the knowledge of materials used in the construction industry. Read more >>
Members of Auburn University's American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student chapter earned top honors at this year's AIChE Southern Regional Competition, held recently at Georgia Tech.
Auburn's chemical car team finished fifth out of 20 teams, qualifying for the AIChE national competition this fall in Minneapolis, Minn. It is the fifth time an Auburn chemical car team has earned a spot to compete at nationals. The team also received fourth place in the regional car team poster competition. Read more >>
An Auburn University team is finding new ways to develop renewable fuels and high-value chemicals from cellulosic biomass by revolutionizing a process originally developed in Germany in the 1920s.
Led by faculty member Mario Eden, Joe T. and Billie Carole McMillan associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Christopher Roberts, co-principal investigator and department chair, the team recently conducted studies that demonstrate how the Fischer-Tropsch process can be modified to produce large amounts of oxygenated chemical compounds that have a high intrinsic value in the marketplace. Read more >>
Auburn University aerospace engineering alums Robert G. Pitts '33 and Jim Voss ‘72 have been inducted into the state of Alabama's Aviation Hall of Fame. Pitts and Voss were honored during a ceremony at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham in March.
A native of Marion, Ala., Pitts served as an Auburn mechanical engineering faculty member, the first head of the aeronautical engineering department, director of Auburn's School of Aviation and manager of the Auburn-Opelika Airport for more than 35 years. Read more >>
The state of Alabama's KidCheck program, which administers health screenings to children in rural and medically underserved communities, is expanding statewide with help from technology developed at Auburn University. The new wireless system that incorporates handheld devices used by nursing students to instantly analyze data for patient risk assessment was developed last year as part of an Auburn engineering student design project. Read more >>
Here's a sampling of this summer's seminars: Read more >>