SPRING 1996
Jim Killian, editor
William F. Walker, Dean of Engineering
M. Dayne Aldridge, Associate Dean, Cross-Disciplinary Programs
Larry D. Benefield, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
James O. Bryant, Jr., Associate Dean, Engineering Extension Services
John M. Owens, Associate Dean, Research
Shirley C. Burson, Assistant to the Dean
Gary A. Bouse, Director of Development
Wilmore Laboratories an integral part of the education of thousands of Auburn engineering students will soon undergo large-scale renovations.
The Auburn University Board of Trustees approved renovation plans at a Jan. 29 meeting on the AUM campus. Work is expected to begin on the project within a few months.
"Wilmore was built in 1948 and except for minor interior alterations has remained essentially unchanged," Dean William F. Walker points out. "The renovation of this historic building will bring it up to current codes, and more than that, once again place it on the cutting edge of instructional and research facilities."
Named for John Jenkins Wilmore, who served Auburn for 55 years as an instructor, professor and dean, Wilmore consists of both small and high-bay labs, offices, classrooms and mixed use areas, with a total area of about 65,000 square feet.
Space in the building is currently used for teaching and research by the departments of mechanical engineering (including materials), civil engineering, chemical engineering and aerospace.
"In 1988 ISES corporation did a facility condition of Wilmore under an independent consulting contract," Walker notes.
"They found the building's structure to be basically sound, with no signs of settlement or fatigue."
The dean adds, however, that it was recommended by the consultants that the following steps be taken:
Replacement of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems;
Replacement of interior doors and transoms, as well as windows and window treatments;
And the construction of a new roof.
It was further determined that interior finishes such as floors and walls be upgraded, and perhaps most importantly, that life and fire safety systems be modernized.
"In effect, the ISES study has called for the demolition of the entire building interior, with the exception of structural elements such as columns, beams, load-bearing walls and slabs," Walker states. "The exterior walls will be restored, however, and the new roof may be sloped rather than flat."
In reconfiguring and reconstructing Wilmore, interior partitions will define new wet and dry labs, as well as offices; elevators, ramps, and other facilities will be made to comply with the American Disabilities Act for accessibility; and a telecommunications system will be installed to connect the facility with world-wide computer networks.
"We are also concerned about our accreditation status as it relates to Wilmore," Walker explains. "Accreditation teams visiting chemical and materials engineering have expressed strong concerns about the substandard condition of Wilmore Labs."
The cost for the renovation of Wilmore has been earmarked from several sources. The National Science Foundation has awarded the college a $2 million grant; state funds will add another $2.3 million; the university, $2 million; and student fees, $1.6 million. The dean plans to raise an additional $2.5 million through alumni contributions, for a total budget of $10.4 million.
The student fee of $5 per quarter hour for every engineering course will become effective with the summer quarter, Walker notes. It was passed by the university's board of trustees.
The dean says that alumni support will be critical in making the project a reality.
"As a friend or alumnus, the college invites you to invest in the future of engineering education and research.
"Through your commitment to this renovation, you will further the tradition of strong, future-minded programs for new generations of Auburn engineers."
To learn more about how you can take a part in preparing Wilmore for the twenty-first century, contact Gary Bouse, director of development for engineering, at the Auburn Alumni Association, 317 South College St., Auburn, AL 36849. He can also be reached at 334/844-1265.
Tax deductible gifts can be made to the Auburn University Foundation, designated for the "Wilmore Engineering Laboratories Building Renovation Fund."
Earle Williams, who supports an eminent scholar chair in electrical engineering and has been an early supporter of the renovation efforts, notes that "the renovation of the Wilmore Laboratories is the College of Engineering's most urgent challenge.
"Wilmore's place at the heart of engineering laboratory education makes refurbishing this essential training ground all the more important. My Auburn engineering education has served me well. It's my intent to see that tomorrow's students will receive the same quality education."
A Message from the Dean
The topics I discuss in this column generally relate to the process of engineering education that is, how we teach our students in the face of new methods and challenges. At this time, however, I wish to discuss not how, but where, we teach our students. In particular, I want to discuss the renovation of Wilmore Laboratories, which will soon undergo more than $10 million in reconstruction.
If you are a postwar graduate of Auburn Engineering, it is almost certain that Wilmore figured into your education. Built in 1948, it has served nearly every program in the College of Engineering at one time or another. When Wilmore was built in the immediate postwar period of the late forties, it was not uncommon for building and construction projects to suffer from limited availability of quality building materials. As a result, facilities erected in that period oftentimes did not produce the service life that the designers anticipated.
Wilmore, now nearly 50 years old, falls into that category. It has only been through the dedicated efforts of our faculty and facilities personnel that the building has remained useful for as long as it has. In addition, when Wilmore was constructed, its designers had no reason to know that in just a few years the scientific and technological revolution of the latter half of the twentieth century would take place.
The engineering and scientific emphasis of the early fifties, and therefore the technology for which the building was designed, was centered around prewar technologies such as internal combustion engines, vapor compression refrigeration, petroleum refining and electric power generation, to name a few. The turbojet engine, which first saw use in the war, and television, which was to come into our homes soon afterwards, characterized the leading technologies of the time. Transistors, microprocessors, sophisticated rocket propulsion techniques, computers, composites, interactive video, and the development of smart materials were all beyond the horizon.
With these circumstances in mind, it is easy to see how over the course of the next several decades continuous alteration, remodeling, and upgrading became routine for the students who used Wilmore. Even so, generations of students and faculty
have found in Wilmore a facility so necessary to instruction and research that its shortcomings were overlooked. Literally thousands of Auburn engineering students have studied and struggled in Wilmore with such courses as statics, strength of materials, thermodynamics, power labs, circuits, transport and unit operations. In fact, you cannot find an engineering graduate between the years of 1955 and 1980 who did not spend at least some time in Wilmore. Even today, students can be found working throughout the night on activities such as individual assignments, group projects, and even extracurricular efforts such as our solar car or mini-baja project.
To a large contingent of the Auburn family, this building has become synonymous with Auburn Engineering.
Wilmore Laboratories will be reconstructed. It is our vision that just as the building has served faculty and generations of engineering students throughout the second half of the twentieth century, it will serve them, and future generations, well into the first half of the next century. The facility that results from this renovation, reconstruction and reconfiguration will for all intents and purposes be a new building. Only the original footprint will remain unchanged. Our faculty and students will have a modern building in which to study and do research a building that is adaptable to the continuously emerging technologies which will characterize the next century.
They can only do it with your help and support. Consider the doors that your Auburn education has opened for you, and help us reopen the doors to Wilmore.
We are seeking to raise approximately $2.5 million in alumni support as part of the overall renovation cost of $10 million. Our development director is Gary Bouse. Please give him a call at 334/844-1265.
The College of Engineering Extension Service is developing a new series of video tape programs designed to meet the professional development requirements of Alabama's registered professional engineers and land surveyors, according to an announcement from James O. Bryant, associate dean for engineering extension.
The Engineering Professional Development (EPD) video series will use a video correspondence course format. Individuals and organizations can obtain taped seminars on current engineering and management topics to view at their convenience under the program.
Individuals desiring continuing education unit (CEU) credit for the course can complete and return an examination furnished with the video tape. Provisions also can be made to award CEU credit for participation in a group viewing of a video program.
"We are making every effort to assure these programs comply with all requirements of the State of Alabama Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors for use in the renewal of licenses," according to Jerry McCreary, industrial engineer with the Engineering Extension Service. "The series is geared to the needs of the working engineer and surveyor."
An in-depth study revealed that this kind of format is one that is overwhelmingly preferred, McCreary added. He cited potential advantages in personal scheduling flexibility and savings in travel time and expenses, particularly for professional engineers or land surveyors who live in other states.
The EPD series was developed from PRECISE teleseminars presented via satellite links at sites around Alabama in 1993 and 1994.
"The increase in satellite transmission fees in the past year priced us out of the live teleseminar market," remarked Belinda Reutter, PRECISE program developer, "but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. By forcing us to look at other delivery modes, we were able to identify a format that will better meet the needs of our clients while permitting us to produce a higher quality product."
Some of the PRECISE teleseminar programs will be available in the EPD format, but a major Engineering Extension focus will be to produce new titles in response to input from PEs and land surveyors.
A new program available now, "Engineers as Consulting and Testifying Experts," is a 15-hour video that offers practical details from 11 authorities on the challenges to the PE and land surveyor of dealing with the legal system.
Promotional material on the EPD series is now being distributed, and information on video courses available can be also obtained by contacting McCreary or Reutter at 334/844-4370 or by writing the EPD Video Series Program, Engineering Extension Service, 217 Ramsay Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849-5331.
Auburn researchers are working on ways to convert waste plastics and coal into viable fuels a technology that once perfected will reduce the amount of plastics buried in landfills and cut U.S. dependency on foreign oil.
Through the Consortium for Fossil Fuel Liquefaction Science (comprised of AU, West Virginia University and the universities of Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Utah) work is under way to combine coal and other fossil fuels such as waste oil with plastics, tire rubber and paper materials to produce fuel oils and transportation fuels.
Six faculty members at Auburn including Christine Curtis, James Guin, Mahmoud ElHalwagi and Ray Tarrer of the chemical engineering faculty, with S.D. Worley and Charles Neely of the Department of Chemistry are working on the project. Curtis says her research focus is on the liquefaction of waste plastics and tires.
Liquefaction, which involves turning materials from a solid to a liquid state, is not simply melting them, according to Curtis. It is a process in which the chemical compounds, or polymers, are broken down into smaller molecules that can be used as fuels.
"Plastics don't liquefy well, so catalytic treatment, using a cracking or hydrocracking catalyst, is needed," Curtis says. "Coal, however, does not always perform well with these catalysts, so what we're trying to do is preliquefy the plastics and use the liquid portion as a solvent in the coal with a catalyst that does perform well with coal. That particular twostage process looks quite promising."
The materials are combined in a reaction chamber with hydrogen gas at a high temperature about 440 degrees C to break down the polymers and remove the unwanted metals present, Curtis says.
"Depending on the materials that we start with and the degree of further refining, we can obtain a gamut of fuel products, from solvents to diesel fuels to gasolines and high quality jet fuels," she said.
In addition to its environmental and economic aesthetics, the waste coprocessing technology would result in a new industry providing a new source of domestic fuels, according to Curtis. "It would be desirable to have these coprocessing plants located at a refinery," she said. "That way the product from the coprocessing of these plastics and coal could be fed directly to the refinery for further upgrading.
"Even with twostage liquefaction, the fuel will not be of the quality wanted without further refining to get a desirable and marketable product."
According to Department of Energy, Americans generate 90 million tons of waste paper and plastic, 350 million waste tires and 1.4 billion gallons of waste oil each year. Estimates are that these materials coprocessed with coal could produce 300 million barrels of usable fuel oil essentially offsetting one month of current U.S. oil imports.
"This type of process probably is what we (as a country) should be looking at rather than imports," Curtis said.
Research Web Sites
Additional information on research within the College of Engineering is available on our web site at http://www.eng.auburn.edu. In addition to home pages for each of our research centers, departmental web sites include more details on faculty, laboratory and computer facilities, and related information.
Early Warning Sensors to Warn of Bridge Hazards
Auburn materials engineers are working on new technology using early warning sensors that could drastically reduce the numbers of accidents that occur on bridges. Based on components used in military defense missile designs, the researchers are developing sensors capable of monitoring a variety of physical and environmental conditions and reporting them to a central location.
"The system will provide warnings of hazardous conditions in advance, enabling repairs to be made or the bridge to be shut down before an accident could occur," says Jeff Fergus of the materials engineering faculty.
"It will have acceleration sensors . . . that monitor damage from objects striking the bridge . . . other sensors that monitor ice and fog . . . and send messages about these conditions over a cellular phone network."
Auburn engineers are modifying existing components to make them as small as possible.
"These are MEMS (Micro ElectroMechanical Systems) devices," Fergus said. "They are very, very small and house a circuit that processes the signal and sends it to a central monitoring station probably to a computer terminal at a police station." Powered by batteries or solar cells, the tiny sensors would be placed in a tube or plastic strip attached directly to the bridge or an adjoining structure, he said.
The system also will provide a means through which inspectors can assess conditions remotely.
"They can dial into the system and predict how close conditions are for fog or ice," Fergus said.
Fergus said the project will be a multiagency, multiuniversity effort, involving industrial and academic partners in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Texas and Massachusetts.
"As far as I know, no other states are currently using anything like this technology," he said.
With laboratory testing completed on a new bridge brace connector, Auburn engineers will recommend a change to Alabama's interstate highway bridge maintenance program that could save thousands of dollars.
"Really, what we have been developing is a new maintenance strategy," says Mike Stallings of the civil engineering
faculty. Stallings and colleague Tommy Cousins have been working with the state Department of Transportation on the project since 1993 gathering data to solve a nationwide problem of fatigue cracking in the steel connectors of diaphragm bracing.
Diaphragms, which are cross braces between the main girders, are used to minimize the normal vertical flexing of the bridges under traffic. It is a standard bridge construction technique, said Stallings.
"Based on our results, only about 50 percent of the existing diaphragms must remain in place," he said. "We're recommending that as normal repairs are made, unnecessary diaphragms be removed and as connectors are replaced, the new design be used. What we've done is changed the geometry of the connection to make it more flexible."
Under extensive stress tests, it has shown to be longer lasting and more flexible than existing connectors, Stallings said.
Although the condition poses no safety hazard as long as maintenance is performed, repairs are continuous and costly. "As repairs are needed, use of the new, longer lasting connection in the diaphragms that remain could reduce maintenance costs by as much as half," Stallings said.
Co-op Education Thrives in Today's New Economy
Cooperative education, long a mainstay of engineering programs, continues to thrive in today's climate of keen competition and corporate downsizing.
Kim Durbin, director of Auburn's program, points out that cooperative education graduates are highly sought by employers because their experience in industry gives them an edge over others both technically and professionally.
The program itself consists of four to six quarters of on-site work assignments alternating with academic quarters. Students may enter the program after the second quarter of their freshman year, or after one quarter as transfers.
"We have placed nearly 800 co-op students with about 230 companies this year," Durbin points out. "Approximately 80 percent of those are engineering students."
The success of the program "really comes from both sides of the fence," Durbin adds. "Students see the need to get work experience, while employers are eager to bring them on board for the contributions they can make."
Durbin also notes that when companies make permanent hires, they look for employees who can contribute immediately with their skills and work experience, and who have been introduced to corporate culture, not just engineering skills.
"Co-op students who enter the work force in general need less training when they enter their careers, which in a lot of cases puts them far ahead of others entering the job market," he explains.
While engineering co-op students earn between nine and thirteen thousand dollars a year during their two quarters of work assignments, Durbin stresses that the educational aspect of cooperative education outweighs the paycheck.
"Academic enhancement, not placement, is the reason the co-op program exists," Durbin says. "We stress this not only to our students, but to the employers as well."
While the program routinely places students in large corporations, Durbin says that the growth now is in small and medium sized companies.
"Supplier firms are a good example," he notes, "as well as consulting firms. The bulk of our co-op employers are in the manufacturing sector."
At the same time, he adds, co-ops are in demand in areas such as government agencies as well, including such well known ones as NASA.
In terms of geography, the co-op office places students as far away as Dallas, Miami, and Washington, D.C.
"It should be pointed out, however, that the majority of our co-op students live within a two-hour drive of Auburn, which allows them to take advantage of the social activities that fill campus weekends," Durbin says.
He sees continued growth for the future of the program.
"Cooperative education was started at Auburn in 1937, but never has the need been greater for the program," he explains. "Companies are becoming increasingly more high-tech, and that includes even those you don't think of as high-tech.
"As some of the latter turn increasingly to automation to trim payrolls and stay competitive, the need for engineers to run plant systems has become more, not less, important."
It's easy to find out more about the co-op program, particularly if you have access to a web-linked computer. The web address of Auburn's office is http://www.auburn.edu/~coogoph. The office can also be reached at Cooperative Education Program, 101 Lowder Building, Auburn University, AL 36849-5123; or by phone at 334/844-5410, and fax at 334/844-6414.
Kim Durbin, director of Auburn University's Cooperative Education Program since 1993, is currently completing the doctor of education degree in higher education ad-ministration.
His dissertation research, "An Analysis of the Relationships Be-tween Job Satisfaction, Cooperative Education Work Experience, and Demographic Variables for Engineering Graduates," is being co-sponsored by the College of Engineering and the Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, Tenn.
Prior to joining the cooperative education program in 1985 as an assistant director, he served as an instructor in the College of Engineering for a four-year period. He also earned the bachelor's and master's degrees at Auburn.
John Junkins, a 1965 graduate in aerospace engineering, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Presently on the faculty of Texas A&M University where he holds the George J. Eppright Chair, Junkins is an expert in guidance, navigation, and control of spacecraft. He was honored by the academy for his contributions to spacecraft flight mechanics and vehicle control.
Junkins joins William Gates, founder of Microsoft, and 76 others as the academy's class of '96, according to Harold Liebowitz, NAE president . At Texas A&M since 1985, Junkins held previous academic appointments at the University of Virginia and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
In 1980, he developed a method for using the earth's magnetic field to change the pointing direction of a satellite in minimum time. His ideas have been implemented successfully on many space missions. He is widely recognized for his scholarship, with more than 300 publications, including three books.
He recently established the Alumni Excellence Scholarship for undergraduates in aerospace engineering at Auburn, and serves on the Aerospace Engineering Advisory Council. He was also recognized as the outstanding aerospace engineering alumnus in 1991.
The Academy conducts studies on issues of national significance and is frequently called upon by congress and the NSF to make recommendations on matters pertaining to the engineering profession, education, research, technology transfer, and national policy.
The Department of Industrial Engineering plans to change its name to the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, effective summer quarter.
"We believe the new name will better convey to prospective students and employers the changing nature of industrial engineering and the role of industrial engineers in many organizations," said V.E. Unger, professor and head of the department.
"Although the name change will not result in any new degree programs, it should help us attract more students into the program and expand employment opportunities for our graduates."
The practice of industrial engineering has broadened beyond the traditional manufacturing setting to areas such as transportation, banking, retailing, lodging, hospitals, telecommunications, government, service and other non-manufacturing organizations, Unger said.
For example, the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) reports that less than 50 percent of its members work in manufacturing industries.
IIE members now hold such non-traditional job titles as systems engineer, management systems manager, operations research analyst, systems integrator, manager of operations, health systems consultant, human factors manager, engineering economist, transportation analyst, and simulation engineering manager.
IIE's definition of industrial engineering states that industrial engineering is concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, equipment and energy.
The systems that industrial engineers deal with range from manufacturing and quality systems to operating systems, transportation and distribution systems, and hospital and health systems.
"Many of our graduates are employed in non-manufacturing organizations including Electronic Data Systems, Atlanta Gas Light, Alabama Power, Southern Company, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Southern Bell, BellSouth, NASA, Florida Public Service Commission, Sun Health, Anderson Consulting, Texas Workers Compensation Commission, Grady Health Systems, and CAPS," Unger said.
"Several hold principal positions in management consulting firms, utility companies and telecommunication companies."
Other industrial engineering departments in the United States have changed their names to the department or school of industrial and systems engineering to recognize the broader application of industrial engineering.
In the Southeast, the list includes the University of AlabamaHuntsville, Georgia Institute of Technology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and the University of Florida.
The name change was approved by the university's board of trustees at the group's winter quarter meeting. Obtaining approval of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education is the last step in the name change process, Unger said.
Industrial Engineering Departments with Similar Name Change
Georgia Institute of Technology School of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Northeastern University Department of Industrial Engineering and Information Systems
Northwestern Illinois University Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences
Ohio State University Department of Industrial, Welding and Systems Engineering
University of AlabamaHuntsville Department of Industrial Systems Engineering
University of Arizona Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering
University of Central Florida Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
University of Florida Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
University of Massachusetts Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
University of Nebraska Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering
University of Southern California Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic Institute Industrial Systems Engineering Department
Electrical Engineering Professor Charlie Gross...
After 33 years of teaching, Charlie Gross is still dazzled by engineering.
"We're in the middle of a revolution," he pointedly says. "Seventy-five percent of the current engineering curriculum wasn't around when I began teaching."
That would have been 1962, when Gross, one of electrical engineering's most acclaimed faculty members, first stepped in front of a chalkboard.
It would signal the beginning of a journey he has yet to complete, although he has taught graduates and undergraduates along the way; on campus and off-campus; through video courses and before continuing education classes; and by example as well.
He has been recognized for his teaching efforts at Auburn as a three-time recipient of the Outstanding Electrical Engineering Professor Award, a distinction he also achieved an equal number of times at the University of Missouri at Rolla, where he earned his master's and doctoral degrees.
Gross has also been named as a recipient of the Birdsong Award, the College of Engineering's highest teaching honor; elected as Mortar Board's favorite educator; and credited with the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal at West Point, where he taught as a visiting professor.
The University of Alabama, where he received degrees in both physics and electrical engineering, named him to the Outstanding Fellow Award in electrical engineering in 1991, and this year selected him as Distinguished Engineering Fellow. He has served as professor of the Square D Endowed Chair of Electrical Power Engineering at Auburn since 1982.
While his commitment was there from the beginning, he points out that the art and science of teaching took years to develop.
"How do you teach effectively? What are the mechanics? Those are the first questions that I asked myself," Gross says. "Now that I'm older and know how people learn, I find myself questioning curriculum content more."
In terms of curriculum development, Gross notes that there are some faculty who favor programs with mostly required courses, while others advocate a much more flexible approach with many more electives.
"I lean toward the former," he notes. "It's important today to give students the opportunity to look at a wide range of engineering practice because the economy who's hiring is changing so quickly. Specialty areas can wait for graduate school. That's why it's there."
In terms of his own classroom, Gross sees no less of a revolution.
"The availability of computers and calculators has resulted in a fundamental change in the way we teach engineering now," he explains. "It took a lot of time and trouble to calculate by slide rule in the sixties, and there were a lot of formulas we had to remember.
"Calculators have drastically reduced this need; they do an awful lot of the engineering we used to do. For example, calculation of hyperbolic functions of complex numbers used to require several weeks to teach; now the topic is covered in less than half a lecture.
"Our knowledge base is constantly doubling . . . to keep up you have to know what to throw away and what to keep. New tools change philosophies and ways of doing things."
Computers are remaking classroom instruction as well, Gross adds.
"What can only be shown statically on a blackboard can be illustrated in motion on a computer, and the result is that students pick up on it much better," he notes.
Gross points to revolutionary new approaches to engineering education that go beyond the computer as well.
"Communication is the biggest key here," he points out. "We need to graduate students who can talk not only to their fellow engineers, but to the public beyond.
"I think that we need to do this by stressing communications skills within engineering classes, not just externally through courses in the English department. I've started to factor that skill into tests and graded assignments," he adds.
"It's not an 'either or' thing where you can decide to concentrate on engineering or English . . . it's an 'and' thing. Nobody is going to appreciate your ideas unless you can communicate them."
Gross believes students today are as bright and as well prepared as they have ever been. There are differences in specific strengths and weaknesses, he adds.
He sometimes wishes for more creative discussion in class when problems are discussed. He notes that one unpopular question he hears is whether or not the material will be on a quiz.
"For me, it's a privilege to teach," he quickly adds.
"I truly believe in lifelong learning. Teaching to me means making the complex simple and helping people. That's the challenge that keeps me in the classroom."
Engineering Hall of Fame's Elmer Harris . . .
Elmer Harris, president and chief executive officer of Alabama Power Company, was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in ceremonies held in Mobile in February.
He earned the bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Auburn in 1962, and the master's in 1968. He also received the master of business administration degree from AU in 1970.
Harris began his career at Alabama Power as a cooperative student engineer in 1958 and progressed through increasing positions of responsibility, culminating in his appointment in 1979 as executive vice president and chief financial officer.
He moved to the Georgia Power Co. in 1986 as senior executive vice president, assuming his current position at Alabama Power in 1989.
Harris was instrumental in developing the Geographic Information System (GIS) at Alabama Power, designed to collect, maintain, edit, integrate, and analyze a wide variety of computer -based information.
Beyond his corporate duties, he has worked for education reform, calling for increased funding of underdeveloped school systems, higher standards for teachers, and for greater accountability.
He is a native of Chilton County.
... And Student Dori Hale Typify Excellence in EE
Diego Garcia stands isolated in the Indian Ocean, as far away from Auburn as you can get. Home to one of the navy's most remote bases, its functions include service as a communications station for the Persian Gulf area.
It was also home to Dori Hale, whose enlistment in the navy in 1989 resulted in orders to the remote outpost, where she worked as an electronics technician in anti-submarine warfare.
It was a real change of pace for someone who thought she would go through life as a golf course manager.
It was not to be her last, however. In August she will become the first woman to graduate from Auburn's Naval ROTC program to enter the Nuclear Navy.
"In a way it's a miracle that I ended up coming to Auburn," the electrical engineering student says. "Now it feels like home, and it's going to be hard to leave."
She spent the first two years of her college career at Mississippi State University by following her golfing talent as a student in that school's golf management curriculum. She was also a member of the women's golf team there.
"Despite a decided lack of academic interest at that age and time, I also tested into the honors program," Dori relates. "It was a mistake. I wasn't mature enough at seventeen, and there was nobody there to hold my hand. I had problems."
Then she quit.
It's something she hasn't done since.
First she surprised a lot of friends and family by enlisting in the Navy, a move she felt would address her lack of maturity.
"It worked," she adds. "I did well."
Well enough, in fact, that she asked if she could apply for a scholarship to return to school.
"There were mixed signals. My career counselor told me that it was not an option," she explains. "But I knew I wanted to be an engineer. I had reached a point as a technician that I wanted to know how the systems I was working on actually worked."
Dori adds that except for the officers with engineering training, nobody in her unit really understood the systems from a conceptual point of view, and she couldn't understand them because she didn't have the math background.
Then she got her scholarship.
"I looked at some schools, although some of them didn't look at me," she jokes. "But after a visit to Auburn I definitely knew where I wanted to go. Some of the others treated me with indifference and negativism, but what I saw here was a positive, can-do atmosphere. There was also the spirit . . . the Auburn spirit."
She was particularly impressed, even inspired she felt, with that kind of feeling in the naval ROTC unit.
Auburn was already home to the nation's premier Nuclear Enlisted Commissioning Program (NECP), but it was geared toward personnel who were already in the Nuclear Navy.
"I didn't have their technical background, and there weren't any female 'nukes' at Auburn either," Dori relates.
"The first thing I had to do at Auburn was move into the general curriculum program as a freshman to raise my GPA. It was only after that that I could move into the EE curriculum."
She found out that if she was willing to work hard, she didn't need a great technical background.
"You can get that here," she says of Auburn. "If I could only get one point across to anybody who's wondering if they have what it takes, that would be it.
"I don't pick up very easily on the technical . . . that flash of recognition just isn't there, and nothing seemed to come easy," she adds.
"But if I wasn't a natural student, I felt that I had the force of willpower that an athlete has, who performs above his or her own level.
"If I had been given these opportunities earlier, things may have been different. But it's worked out. It's been a miracle."
In addition to the challenge that engineering has brought, she points again to the university's ROTC program as being extremely positive for her own growth with respect to leadership skills, the ability to work with others, and the acceptance of growing responsibilities.
"I enjoy the Navy," she observes. "It has provided the best environment I have found to grow personally and professionally."
These are the qualities she hopes to join with her engineering education when she graduates.
Her next stop is Rhode Island for six months of surface warfare school, and then to a combattant, as she calls it a ship where she will be a junior officer with responsibilities ranging from shiphandling to weapons systems and propulsion systems to personnel management.
"A junior officer is introduced to all of it, but my goal is to be a nuclear trained surface warfare officer," Dori points out.
"I think that Auburn has provided me with the tools that I can use to be able to do that, no matter where my career takes me. Perhaps most importantly engineering has given me the ability to absorb a lot of information quickly in addition to skills in general problem solving."
She admits only to being uncomfortable with the separations from her husband that will result from navy life.
"Keith graduates in August in management information systems, and he's part of the equation too . . . we'll have to be flexible," she says, thinking ahead.
"Can I say this?" she asks. "If anybody is out there listening . . . if I can make it anybody can. I don't know how many people have been given an opportunity to start over. If you've been blessed with a second chance, make the most of it."
If Dori Hale doesn't, friends and family who were surprised that she enlisted in the navy . . . went to Auburn . . . and will graduate as an officer . . . could only be baffled.
"My experiences at Auburn have meant a lot to me," Dori adds. "I owe a lot of people, not just here, but my parents too, and mom in particular, because I feel I keep getting closer to her. I've learned a lot, and the future looks great."
The university presented an honorary doctor of science degree to John T. Hartley during spring quarter commencement exercises on the Auburn campus.
Retired chairman and chief executive officer of the Harris Corporation, a Fortune 500 company based in Melbourne, Fla., Hartley is a 1951 chemistry and 1955 electrical engineering graduate.
He is the 133rd person to receive an honorary degree from AU in the institution's 140 year history. AU President William V. Muse presented the honorary degree on behalf of the board of trustees during commencement in BeardEaves Memorial Coliseum.
A former Navy officer, Hartley was an instructor in electrical engineering at Auburn while pursuing his second degree in the 1950s.
Hartley, who continues to serve on the executive committee of the Harris board, joined the Harris Corporation in 1956 as a research engineer and led the electronics company's development of integrated circuits during the 1960s.
He rose through the ranks to vice president, executive vice president, president, chief executive officer and, in 1987, chairman of the board, a post he held until retiring in 1995.
The corporate executive was appointed by former Presidents Reagan and Bush to the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and is a past chairman of the Defense Policy Advisory Committee on Trade. He also served as a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development.
Hartley is a past chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers, a former member of the board of trustees of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, and a past member of The Business Roundtable and The Conference Board. He serves on the board of trustees of the Florida Institute of Technology, is a member of the Florida Council of 100 and serves on the executive committee of the Business Higher Education Forum.
He is on the boards of directors of McGrawHill Inc., The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and The Equitable Companies Inc.
The honorary degree recipient is a member of several honor societies and has been listed in Who's Who in America. Hartley holds the 1987 outstanding electrical engineering alumni award from Auburn and was inducted into the Alabama
Engineering Hall of Fame in 1995.
He also was named Florida Industrialist of the Year in 1989 and Financial World CEO of the Year in 1992 and is a recipient of the Defense Department's Medal for Distinguished Service.
. . . Dwight Carlisle At Fall Graduation
Dwight L. Carlisle Jr., former president and chief executive officer of the Russell Corporation, received an honorary doctor of science degree during fall quarter commencement ceremonies.
Carlisle, the 132nd person to receive an honorary degree from Auburn, devoted his career to the Russell Corporation. He began working for the Alexander Citybased company while a cooperative education student at Auburn in the 1950s and joined the company fulltime following his graduation with a degree in textile engineering in 1958.
Russell became the nation's leading manufacturer of athletic apparel and strengthened its position in the textile and apparel industries during his years with the company. Carlisle was named to the company's board of directors in 1975, became president and chief operating officer in 1982, and president and chief executive officer in 1988. He retired in 1991, capping a 35year career with the company.
Carlisle, who was named Alexander City's "Man of the Year" in 1989, was president of the Alabama Textile Manufacturers Association; chairman of the board of directors of the National Knitwear Manufacturers Association; chairman of various industry committees; and on the board of directors of the American Apparel Manufacturers Association.
He is a member of the boards of the Russell BryantJordan Scholar Athlete Program and Friends of Alabama Archives.
At Auburn, Carlisle served on the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, the advisory committee of the School of Business and the AU Research Advisory Council. He received the Distinguished Auburn Engineer Award in 1989.
Gerald B. Andrews has been named as chief executive officer of Johnston Industries, Inc., according to an announcement by the firm's board of directors. He continues to hold his previous titles of president and chief operating officer.
Andrews earned his undergraduate degrees in textile engineering and industrial engineering. He later attended the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard University School of Business.
After 38 years at WestPoint Pepperell, Inc. (now WestPoint Stevens) in various senior management posts, Andrews came to Johnston Industries in 1992 as president and chief operating officer.
Described by a colleague as "a visionary and one of the most innovative, knowledgeable, and hardworking executives in the entire textile community . . . his leadership qualities and enthusiasm for our business inspire everyone around him."
Andrews has received many honors during his long career. Last year he became the first textile engineer to be named to the prestigious State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. "Textile World" named him as 1995 Leader of the Year.
Johnston Industries, Inc., was established in 1972 by Paul A. Johnston, Sr. when he purchased the textile operations of the Glen Alden Corporation. In addition to Wellington Sears and Tech Textilers, USA, its other current operating units include Opp and Micolas Mills, Inc. and Southern Phenix Textiles. The company has a total of 14 locations, predominantly in the Southeast, employing approximately 3,000 workers.
Johnston Industries was honored early this year by being chosen as the first winner of Americas Textile International's award for the most innovative company in the industry. More than 400 industry and government officials gathered at a recognition banquet and reception in Columbus, Ga., to celebrate the event.
Espy Remembered as Quiet, Effective Leader
Services were held in January for Thomas H. Espy Jr., who culminated a career of some three and a half decades in the Alabama Department of Transportation as chief engineer, a position he held from 1979-92. He was a 1958 graduate in civil engineering.
Espy, who served as vice president at David Volkert and Associates subsequent to his career in the state transportation department, had been ill before his untimely death.
He was admired and respected by everyone he touched, in a circle of friends that went beyond his personal and professional acquaintances to include members in his community, church, and alma mater.
"Tom Espy was one of the most engaging and amiable persons that I have ever met," Engineering Dean William Walker noted. "At the same time he was strictly professional in his engineering ethic, with a hands-on approach that got things done. His contributions to Auburn Engineering will be greatly missed."
Espy served as a member of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, whose membership serves as the dean's advisory group, and was active as well in civil engineering matters. He regularly visited the Auburn campus, where his advice was sought by faculty and administrators alike.
"Tom's approach to helping the College of Engineering was quiet but effective," remembers Joe Judkins, head of the Department of Civil Engineering. "He never sought personal recognition for his efforts, but was genuinely concerned for the
profession, and the young people entering it as students. His impact was very much felt here on the Auburn campus."
He is survived by his wife Ginger, and sons Hal and Bill and their families, including three grandsons.
The family has requested that memorials be made to the National Marrow Donor Program, Cook Children's Medical Center, 801 Seventh Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76106.
As their commitment to Campaign Auburn: The Next Generation, Ray and Jackie Taunton of Morristown, N.J., have announced their intent to establish an endowed scholarship and computing laboratory in the Department of Textile Engineering, and a fund for excellence in the College of Engineering.
The gift will result in a major scholarship for a student studying textile engineering, and assist in the expansion of a computing lab for undergraduate students in the department. In addition, the fund for excellence creates a permanent source of unrestricted funding for use by the dean of engineering.
"Ray and Jackie have a long history of supporting engineering programs at Auburn." said Bill Walsh, department head of textile engineering. "Their loyalty and generosity are greatly appreciated."
Commenting on his decision to make a gift, Taunton said, "It is important that the College of Engineering continues to move toward its goal of excellence. In addition, the Department of Textile Engineering, which provides graduates for one of the most creative, productive segments of American industry, must stay abreast of and use newer technologies to gain competitiveness."
Taunton is a 1956 graduate of the textile engineering program. After four years with the Celanese Corporation, he joined AlliedSignal as a plant manager.
A succession of promotions eventually led him to the position of vice president of operations for the company's engineered materials sector in 1980. He retires from AlliedSignal this year, completing a 36 year career with the company.
During his lifetime, 1932 electrical engineering graduate Charles R. Jager devoted his working career to the field of electric power. To honor his memory, an endowed scholarship has been established in the Department of Electrical Engineering by his son, Charles M. Jager, and his wife, Rosemary. The Jagers reside in Mountain Brook, Ala.
"We are pleased to create this scholarship in honor of my father. He was an Auburn man to the core," Jager, a 1956 graduate in mechanical engineering, said. "His graduation in electrical engineering came at a time during the Depression when there seemed to be no jobs for anyone. It is our desire that young people today realize that an engineering education from Auburn has high value, even when begun under distressed circumstances."
While at Auburn, Jager was a charter member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. After teaching school for a short time, he was employed with Alabama Power Company for 40 years, rising to a position as assistant to the vice president. After his retirement in 1976, he was honored by Alabama Power for his contributions to engineering and to the company's river development program.
"The College of Engineering is very pleased that Charlie Jager chose to honor his father with this endowment," Dean William F. Walker said. "We consider them both as Auburn family, and this gift will in a very real sense broaden the opportunity to bring a young, gifted student into it as well."
Recognizing the need for up-to-date laboratories for undergraduates in the College of Engineering, Tracy and Lou Ann O'Rourke have made a major commitment to assist in the renovation of Wilmore Laboratories.
"To meet current and future accreditation criteria, it is required that the college be able to offer quality laboratory facilities for our undergraduate and graduate students," responded Dean William F. Walker. "Therefore, the renovation of Wilmore Laboratories is the highest priority of the College of Engineering in the capital campaign.
"We are extremely grateful that Tracy and Lou Ann have acknowledged the importance of the renovation of Wilmore, and hope that others will consider funding the project."
With the O'Rourkes' commitment, private support of the renovation project surpasses $1 million.
"The activities conducted in Wilmore Labs are integral to most everything of significance that takes place in the College of Engineering," O'Rourke noted in making the gift. "It's no easy task to keep all of the university's facilities up to date, but the renovation of Wilmore is long overdue."
O'Rourke graduated from Auburn University in 1956 with a degree in mechanical engineering. After serving in several companies for a total of 25 years, he became president and chief operating officer of Allen-Bradley.
In 1985, Allen-Bradley joined forces with Rockwell International Corporation, and O'Rourke assumed the position of one of three executive vice presidents and chief operating officers of the corporation. In 1990, he was named chairman and chief executive officer of Varian Associates, an international technology electronics company based in Palo Alto, Calif.
O'Rourke has received numerous awards during his career, including induction into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 1994.
As a source of funding for the college, unrestricted giving provides the opportunity for the college to meet pressing needs as they arise. Acknowledging the need for such resources, Hank and Brenda Hayes of Plano, Tex., have pledged a major unrestricted gift to the College of Engineering, as well as smaller gifts to the College of Business and the Office of Research as their commitment to Campaign Auburn: The Next Generation.
"Over the next five years, this gift will allow us to fund priorities within the College," Dean William F. Walker said. "With the increased prospects of more decreases in state appropriations, gifts of the type pledged by Hank and Brenda Hayes give the college the ability to react to changing needs and priorities. We are greatly appreciative of their continued support of the College of Engineering."
"Obviously, engineering is my number one priority at Auburn. The training I received in the College of Engineering gave me the basic knowledge I needed to succeed in my career. However, engineering has significant relationships with business and research. Therefore, I have chosen to support all three areas at Auburn," Hayes added.
In 1965, Hayes received the bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Auburn, and in 1967, his master's in the same curriculum. He began his career with Texas Instruments in 1967, and since then has consistently been promoted within the company. In 1991 he assumed the position of President of the Defense Systems & Electronics Group (DSEG). Under his leadership, DSEG won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1992, the first time a defense-related company had won the award.
Hayes currently serves as executive vice president of Texas Instruments, with primary responsibilities for the company's software business and corporate venture projects. He also serves as chairman of the strategy leadership team for Texas Instruments, composed of TI senior officers, giving him corporate-wide authority over the company's strategic planning.
He currently serves on the Auburn University Research Council.
"He always wanted to major in engineering, but knew he wouldn't be able to pass calculus," joked Mrs. Elizabeth Eden Hooks of Marietta, Ga., as she made a gift to create the Cary S. And Elizabeth E. Hooks Fund for Excellence in the college of Engineering. The gift establishes a major unrestricted endowment for the College.
"This, in my opinion, is a very special gift," Dean William F. Walker remarked about the donation. "We are so pleased that Mrs. Hooks made the decision to honor her husband by recognizing his first interest of study, engineering."
Cary S. Hooks was 1932 graduate of business administration in the College of Business at Auburn. Following graduation, he dedicated more than 20 years of his life to working with the U.S. Corps of Engineers, where he was able to practice engineering. After retiring from the corps, Hooks spent several years in the mortgage lending business.
Having the opportunity to meet pressing needs in today's climate of fiscal uncertainty is a goal that is often difficult to obtain. Therefore, unrestricted giving remains a significant priority of the College of Engineering.
Recognizing the importance of such a need, Bill and Lana McNair of Dunwoody, Ga., have committed an unrestricted major gift to the College of Engineering as their pledge to Campaign Auburn: The Next Generation.
"Looking back, it's easy to see how the quality engineering education I received at Auburn has enhanced my career," McNair said. "With that realization comes a sense of obligation to help maintain and enhance that quality for future generations.
"Lana and I are delighted to support this quest for excellence," he added.
"Due to the current fiscal situation facing the College of Engineering and the university, unrestricted gifts of the proportion of Bill and Lana's are especially important to the future of our engineering programs and projects," Dean William F. Walker said. "We are very appreciative of their continued support of the College of Engineering."
McNair graduated from the College of Engineering in 1968 with a degree in electrical engineering. He also holds an MBA from Auburn and a master's of management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
His telecommunications career with BellSouth includes a variety of positions in network and marketing in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. He was elected an officer and named vice president of corporate affairs in 1990. He later rose to the position of vice president of carrier services, and assumed his current position of vice president of network operations in 1993.
Long-time faculty member David F. Dyer has been selected to chair the Department of Mechanical Engineering, succeeding John S. Goodling, who has announced his plans to retire this fall.
Dyer received the bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee, and the master's and doctoral degrees from Georgia Tech.
He has been a member of the faculty in the College of Engineering since 1965.
The College of Engineering is one of four colleges and schools at Auburn receiving new commitments totaling $4.4 million from anonymous donors to support academic programs. The engineering gift of $1.4 million will support a distinguished professorship in electrical engineering.
In addition, a gift of $1.0 million to the College of Liberal Arts will go to the History Department; a $1.0 million gift will go to the College of Agriculture for the Department of Poultry Science; and $1.0 million will go to the School of Human Sciences.
Betty DeMent, vice president for alumni and development at Auburn, said the donors are dedicated alumni who wish to help the university further develop the quality of its academic programs while protecting their privacy.
"We are thankful that these loyal supporters care deeply about Auburn and wish to help us raise the quality of our programs to the next level," she said.
The pledges are deferred gifts through estate plans as part of Campaign Auburn: The Next Generation, which is Auburn's comprehensive campaign to build a resource base for current and future academic enhancement.
Many people find estate plans to be an excellent way to help the next generation of students," said DeMent. "One reason Auburn students get a good education is that each generation provides opportunities for future generations to improve their education. This is one of the strengths of Auburn."
George and Dorothy Uthlaut of Houston, Tex., have announced their commitment to establish the George E. and Dorothy Stafford Uthlaut Endowed Professorship in the Department of Chemical Engineering as their pledge to Campaign Auburn: The Next Generation.
The gift will result in an endowment to recognize faculty who provide a strong commitment to student instruction and a dedication to quality research in chemical engineering.
"At a time in the College of Engineering when it is difficult to find the funds for increases in faculty salaries, the commitment made by George and Dot Uthlaut gives the college the ability to reward deserving faculty members who stand out among their colleagues," Dean William Walker said.
"In order for us to remain competitive with other universities and have a quality faculty, it is important that we increase the number of endowed professorships at Auburn University."
Uthlaut is a 1954 chemical engineering graduate. After a long and successful career with Exxon, he retired from the company in 1986. In 1987, Uthlaut came out of retirement to work with Enron Oil and Gas Company as senior vice president in operations. He has a long history of involvement with Auburn University, and currently serves as a member of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, which serves as an advisory group to the dean.