Electrical engineering labs named in professor’s honor
Steve Smith, a '75 graduate and former student of Gross, with Charles Gross and Mark Nelms, department chair
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering laboratories in Broun Hall were named the “Dr. Charles A. Gross Electrical Engineering Teaching Laboratories” in a ceremony held on Sept. 23. The labs were named through a generous contribution from Steve Smith, a ’75 graduate and former student of Gross, in recognition of his teaching excellence.
A member of Auburn’s electrical engineering faculty for more than three decades, Gross was instrumental in teaching undergraduate and graduate students electrical engineering fundamentals critical to academic and professional success. He served as an exceptional educator known for his ability to make technical subject matter accessible to students, with a personal dedication that impacted generations of engineering graduates.
Smith, who also holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA, and whose daughter Stephanie also studied under Gross as a current electrical engineering student, described Gross as “truly an inspiration… he is the best pure teacher at the college level I have had the privilege of studying under. His skill at explaining difficult concepts and helping students organize their thoughts about these subjects is exceptional.”
