capstone engineer - spring 2014

‘Vision is Reality’

With opening of final building , the area of engineering and science

has UA ready for a new era’

EngineerCAPSTONE

Spring 2014

{ Capstone Engineer • Spring 2014 } 1

Features

12 Expanding Its Window CAPS ventures into new areas

16 ‘UA Chose Me’ City Engineer from Jackson, Miss., finds home at UA for doctorate degree

18 Lifting Off College startup company wins Alabama Launchpad, looks to market technology

20 ‘Vision is Reality’ With opening of final building , the area of engineering and science has UA ready for a new era

22 Ready to Collaborate

Departments2 Dean’s Message

3 Surveying the College Noteworthy News and Research from UA Engineering

10 Currents Events from Around the College

26 Alumni Dynamics Items of Interest to Capstone Engineers

35 Bits and Bytes The College from Outside

36 End User Capstone Engineers on Today’s Technology

37 Message from the CES

AnnualGolf Tournament

The14th

C A P S T O N E E N G I N E E R I N G S O C I E T Y

M O N D A Y , S E P T . 2 2 , 2 0 1 4

Riverchase Country Club

H T T P : / / G O L F . E N G . U A . E D U

2 { The University of Alabama } { Capstone Engineer • Spring 2014 } 3

Surveying the CollegeNoteworthy News and Research from UA Engineering

Surveying the College

Dear Alumni and Friends,I get numerous opportunities to talk about the College of Engineering. And doing so at this point in our history is a lot of fun because the constant themes are growth and improvement. What emerges from the charts and graphs in my presentations is the central theme of growth, but not just getting bigger. Our story is improvement across the board.

As you will find on the College snapshot on Page 9, enrollment is up. Positions have been added to our faculty. We have expanded our teaching, research and laboratory space with impressive new facilities. We have more graduates than ever before.

It is no great secret as to how we have accomplished this growth. We have recruited — hard. The College sends a representative to every UA recruiting event no matter the location, from Miami to San Francisco. It has taken incredible dedication from folks across the College. But being face-to-face with high school students and their parents, I believe, shows our commitment to their education. Our alumni have also helped by being ambassadors for the University. There is no doubt that prospective students and their parents sense our concerns about their futures.

I am excited about our growth, but I am especially proud of the fact that we have simultaneously improved the quality of our student body. This has been done both at the College and University levels. The academic credentials of our freshman class are simply outstanding, and they continue to improve each year. Although I am proud of the academic accomplishments of the students we are recruiting, I am probably most proud of the fact that we are recruiting great people. It is gratifying to know that there are still a lot of parents who are doing a tremendous job of parenting.

Another area that has seen growth is in the research productivity of our faculty. From increasing their research expenditures to increasing their research publications and their activities in the area of intellectual property, the faculty have responded to challenges placed before them.

This is a great time in the College — a time that should continue. Our commitment to educating engineers and computer scientists who excel after graduation will continue, and I am confident that our improvements will as well.

Dr. Charles L. KarrDean

Capstone Engineering Society 205-348-2452Milton A. Davis, Chair, Board of Directors • Charles L. Karr, PhD, Dean, College of Engineering • Nancy Holmes, Manager, Capstone Engineering Society • Adam Jones, Editor • Judah Martin, Writer • Issue No. 49 • Capstone Engineer is published in the spring and fall by the Capstone Engineering Society. • Tori E. Nelko, Designer • Benita Crepps, Proofreader • Jeff Hanson, Bryan Hester, Zach Riggins, Matthew Wood, Photography • Address correspondence to the editor: The University of Alabama, Capstone Engineering Society, College of Engineering, Box 870200, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200 • Visit the College of Engineering website at www.eng.ua.edu. • The University of Alabama is an equal-opportunity educational institution/employer. • MC8587

Dean’s Message


Research on reliable renewable energy systems leads to patentRenewable energy sources such as wind-powered generators can be more reliable and efficient by better controlling the process of getting electricity onto the power grid, according to a United States patent based on research by Dr. Shuhui Li, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Alabama.

Li, with assistance from Dr. Tim Haskew, professor and head of the electrical engineering department, found in their research that wind turbines often stop sending electricity to the grid because of competing processes in converting electricity into a form usable for power distribution. The patent, granted in November to UA, claims an algorithm that when programed into the turbine’s power electronics better controls the electric conversion.

“There are two different control tasks that fight to control each other’s method,” Li said. “When you compete, it’s dangerous, and sometimes you compete wrong.”

The patent and two other pending patents are part of Li’s efforts to enhance energy generation from renewable resources and improve the efficiency, reliability, stability and power quality of integrated renewable and electric utility systems. For electric energy consumers, Li hopes to improve the power quality and uninterrupted energy supply to meet customers’ needs and increase incentives for energy consumers to use less expensive, more reliable

energy from renewable resources and electric vehicles.The University of Alabama Office for Technology Transfer is

working with Li to market the patent and related technology for commercial or government use.

Professor, student recognized by Women EngineersA mechanical engineering professor and a recent graduate received national recognition by the Society of Women Engineers.

Dr. Beth A. Todd, UA SWE faculty adviser, was awarded the Distinguished Engineering Educator Award, and Rachel Hughes, former UA SWE president, received the SWE Outstanding Collegiate Member Award at the recent WE13 Conference in Baltimore, Md.

The Distinguished Engineering Educator Award is presented each year to a woman who has made significant contributions to the field as an educator. Similarly, the Outstanding Collegiate Member Award honors a female engineering student who has served as a SWE member for at least two years and has made outstanding contributions to SWE, the engineering community and her campus.

Todd began teaching at the University in 1992 and serves as associate professor and undergraduate program coordinator in mechanical engineering. She was named a SWE fellow in 2004

and co-chaired the 2003 SWE National Conference. In addition, Todd has been named national outstanding section faculty adviser for both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and SWE.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University in August, Hughes, formerly Rachel Mitchell, soon began working as a validation engineer at Evonik Birmingham Laboratories.

While Hughes was president, the UA SWE chapter received the gold-level Outstanding Collegiate Section Award at the SWE Annual Conference in Houston, Texas, and it won the bid to host the SWE Region D Conference on campus in 2014.

Professor granted patent for carbon-capture processAn innovative method for stripping greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from industrial emissions is potentially cheaper and more efficient than current methods, according to a United States patent based on research by Dr. Jason E. Bara, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at The University of Alabama.

Nearly all commercially available efforts at scrubbing greenhouse gases, or GHGs, from emissions use a liquid solution of water and amine, derived from ammonia, that contacts the stream, removing carbon dioxide or other unwanted gases. The

system patented by Bara would replace much of the water in the aqueous amine solutions with a promising class of molecules known as imidazoles, organic solvents with a low vapor pressure, or boiling point.

The patent, granted earlier in August to UA, claims the chemical makeup of the imidazole-containing systems for use in capturing carbon dioxide and other gases from natural gas and post-combustion emissions, such as those from coal-fired power plants.

“The advantages of imidazoles in carbon capture are that they are a class of solvents with tunable chemical and physical properties,” Bara said. “This gives us a lot of flexibility in designing a solvent system that can meet process demands.”

This technology has been licensed to the clean tech company ION Engineering in Boulder, Colo., with the hope of further development for carbon dioxide capture. Bara helped found ION Engineering and continues as a science adviser with the company.

CS professor hopes to improve open-source software development

Development of open-source software could be improved through understanding how isolated programmers collaborate, according to a research project underway by a computer scientist at The University of Alabama.

Previous page: Dr. Amy Lang, associate professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, is studying the aerodynamic properties of the scales that line butterfly wings. Above: Dr. Shuhui Li, right, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and graduate student Ishan Jaithwa, center, and undergraduate student Josh Stoddard, left, examine equipment in Li’s laboratory.

Research led by Dr. Jason Bara, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, shows a more efficient and cheaper method for capturing carbon dioxide.

Surveying the College Surveying the College

Continued on page 6


The Web browser Firefox, for example, is Free/Libre and Open Source Software, or FLOSS. In these applications, the source code, or the instructions that control how the program behaves, is available to be viewed and modified by users.

The owner of the software benefits from the contributions of people spread across the Internet to improve the quality and performance of the software and to encourage widespread adoption.

However, the software development process can bog down because the developers rarely meet in person or, in some cases, do not communicate outside of reviewing each other’s code, said Dr. Jeffrey Carver, associate professor of computer science.

Carver was recently awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant by the National Science Foundation to study mechanisms that help build trust between the developers and improve productivity. Through surveys of open-source developers, monitoring FLOSS projects and building an archive of code reviews, Carver and his students hope to model the process of impression formation among developers, measure the accuracy of their impressions of each other and observe how peer impressions affect project outcomes.

Students, professors author book chapter on autism appThree University of Alabama students, along with two professors, will publish a book chapter detailing their research in developing a smartphone application for children with autism.

The app is designed to boost the interpersonal communication skills of children with autism.

Two of the students, Cassidy Lam and Lauren Lambert, are a part of the University’s Emerging Scholars program that provides research opportunities to eligible freshman students.

Lam, a junior majoring in computer science, and Joshua Wolfe, a sophomore majoring in computer science, are in charge of the technical aspects in developing the app while Lambert, a junior majoring in psychology, applies her emerging expertise on the development of children with autism spectrum disorders. All three graduated from Madison Academy in Huntsville.

The students’ research follows a growing trend of using social media technology in developmental intervention and is based on research by Dr. Angela Barber, assistant professor of communicative disorders at The University of Alabama, who specializes in autism spectrum disorders.

The smartphone app is targeted toward children around kindergarten age and is divided into three phases for an interactive learning style.

After two years of working on the app project, Dr. Jeff Gray, associate professor of computer science at UA and adviser for the students, received information about an academic publication on the role of technology in autism intervention. According to Gray, it is rare for undergraduate students to publish at this level.

The book chapter, titled “Improving Socialization and Emotion Recognition for Children with Autism Using a Smartphone App,” is written in collaboration with Barber, Gray and Dr. Gary Edwards, executive director of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham. The chapter will be published in “Innovative Technologies to Benefit Children on the Autism Spectrum” by Nava Silton, assistant professor of psychology at Marymount Manhattan College, and is set for release in spring 2014.

Researchers look to butterflies to improve flightA better understanding of the aerodynamic properties of butterfly wings may lead to improved human-made flight, according to research at The University of Alabama recently funded by the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Amy Lang, associate professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, was awarded approximately $280,000 by NSF to study the tiny scales on butterfly wings that help lift the insect despite its low speed during flight. Lang, who also works with

shark scales, uses bio-inspired engineering to help improve the movement of flow over wings, for instance, specifically by altering the boundary where the air interacts with the moving surface, such as a butterfly wing.

“The butterfly scales are beautifully arranged on the wing, and how the scales are arranged is where the aerodynamic benefit comes in,” Lang said.

With the grant, Lang will continue to work with Dr. Nathan Slegers, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, to study monarchs in flight, and also with Dr. Will Schreiber, associate professor of mechanical engineering at UA, and Dr. John Yoder, an associate professor of biological sciences at UA, who will study the scales’ biology to help model the scales.

Lang and her student assistant will study clipped wings and models of butterfly-inspired geometries about 10 to 100 times larger than real scales. Experiments in the lab will test how butterfly wings improve airflow.

“Innovations in the field of boundary layer control are needed to provide efficient methodologies to decrease drag and improve efficiency,” she said.

Dr. Jeffrey Carver, right, associate professor of computer science, has a grant from the National Science Foundation to study open-source software development.

Dr. Amy Lang, associate professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, uses clipped butterfly wings and models of butterfly-inspired geometries, such as the one above, to study airflow.

Surveying the College Surveying the College

8 { The University of Alabama }

25

1316 17

2721

40PATENTAPPLICATIONS

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

20

25

30

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

ENGINEERINGUA AVERAGE

MEAN ACT SCOREFOR ENTERINGFRESHMEN

29.2

25.824.8

24

ARE 15% OF THEMILLION DOLLAR BAND,THE LARGEST GROUP

ENGINEERING MAJORS

MORE THAN $300M I L L I O NIN NEW FACILITIESS I N C E 2 0 0 4

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20132004

Total EnrollmentUndergraduateGraduate

ENROLLMENT 4,459

4,155

304

3,911

3,3773,090

2,7462,4812,327

2,1141,9081,857

3,560

3,0292,773

2,4452,2262,068

1,8561,6201,540

351348317301255259258288317

08–09 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13

• 25• 60• 257

3 4 2TOTAL

4 0 8TOTAL

4 4 3TOTAL

4 7 6TOTAL

4 8 8TOTAL

• 19• 76• 313

•22• 88• 333

•19• 98• 359

• 33• 101• 354PHDMASTER’S BACHELOR’S

DEGR

EES A

WAR

DED

THE AVERAGE STARTINGSALARY FOR COLLEGEGRADUATES IS$62,000

IN STATE69%

OUT OFS T A T E

31%

STUDENTSPARTICIPATE

COOPERATIVEEDUCAT ION

ENROLLMENT SCHOLARS

UNDERGRADUATESON MERIT-BASEDSCHOLARSHIPS

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

08–09 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13

TOTAL ENGINEERING

HONORSCOLLEGE

STUDENTS

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000

20092010201120122013 6,374

5,6724,903

4,673

3,965

1,7201,362

1,048956

726


Two graduate students awarded for research presentationsWill Guin, a graduate student in civil, construction and environmental engineering, won the top prize in the University’s inaugural Three Minute Thesis competition for his presentation on creating a more effective airframe skin for the Boeing 787 aircraft. Alireza G. Kashani, also a graduate student in the same department, won the People’s Choice award after showing how a laser can more effectively assess structural damage caused by tornadoes

International Three Minute Thesis competitions help teach graduate students to make their work more accessible to everyone by expressing often complex research in everyday language.

Professor to help group promote computer science educationDr. Jeff Gray, associate professor of computer science, has been invited to serve on Code.org’s Education Advisory Council. Code.org is a non-profit that aims to raise the awareness of the need for computer science education in kindergarten through 12th grade, asserting that computer science is a valuable skill for any career path.

As a member of Code.org’s Education Advisory Council, Gray will be tasked with helping to advance the organization’s mission of expanding the presence of computer science programs nationwide. The 10-person council is comprised of faculty from Duke, UCLA, the University of Chicago, the University of Oregon and several K-12 computer science teachers.

ME researcher named UA’s Blackmon-Moody Outstanding ProfessorDr. Ajay K. Agrawal, professor and Robert F. Barfield Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering, received the 2013 Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award. The Frederick Moody Blackmon and Sarah McCorkle Moody Outstanding Professor Award is presented annually to a UA faculty member judged to have made extraordinary research contributions.

CE professor emeritus elected to national postDr. Daniel Turner, professor emeritus of civil engineering, was recently elected as a vice president for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.

Turner received his commission as NCEES Southern Zone vice president at the NCEES’s recent 92nd annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. He was elected to the position by delegates from the Southern Zone during their interim meeting in April 2013. As vice president, Turner will serve on the NCEES board of directors and as the zone’s administrative officer through 2015.

MTE professor emeritus recognized for achievementDr. Richard C. Bradt, professor emeritus of metallurgical and materials engineering, was recognized for his lifetime achievements in ceramic science and engineering.

The American Ceramic Society selected Bradt for the W. David Kingery Award, which recognizes distinguished, lifelong achievements involving multidisciplinary and global contributions to ceramic technology, science, education and art. The award is open to all people worldwide. It is the highest award of recognition by the American Ceramic Society.

ChBE student selected for UN climate-change conferenceA chemical engineering student was selected to attend a United Nations climate-change conference this past fall.

Emily Bloomquist, a sophomore from Tucker, Ga., was chosen by the American Chemical Society Committee on Environmental Improvement to attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 19th Conference of the Parties in Warsaw, Poland. She was one of only six students chosen nationally to represent ACS at the conference.

CS professor named fellow by CSABDr. Allen S. Parrish, computer science professor and director of the Center for Advanced Public Safety at The University of Alabama, was recognized as a fellow of CSAB, the lead society for accreditation of degree programs in computer science, information systems, software engineering and information technology.

The CSAB Fellow Award is given in recognition of individuals who have given sustained, quality service to the computing profession and to computing education through the activities of CSAB.

In Brief

Surveying the College

College of Engineering By the Numbers


Currents

CurrentsEvents from Around the College

Previous page: A 3D printer was part of the [ENTER]Connect interactive art exhibit. Top left: Students at E-Day ask questions about the concrete canoe. Top and bottom right: The annual homecoming tailgate was held on the Shelby Engineering and Science Quad. Bottom left: The Large Scale Structures Lab held a demonstration as part of E-Day.

Crowd comes for annual E-DayThe College hosted more than 800 students at the annual Engineering Day, or E-Day. The College’s open house gives prospective students a closer look at the College of Engineering, and participants receive a realistic view of how engineering skills are used in everyday life. Lunch was provided by McAbee Pigfitters.

COE sponsors interactive art showAn art show sponsored by the College brought interactive new media technologies and 3-D fabrication to Tuscaloosa’s Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center last November.

The show, called [ENTER]Connect, also sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, had students from both colleges display work created by new media technologies such as 3-D printing, 3-D scanning, microcontrollers and projection mapping.

“I firmly believe that the challenges and problems our engineering graduates will face in the future will require unprecedented levels of creativity and innovation,” said Dr. Charles L. Karr, dean of the College of Engineering. “The opportunity to work side by side with other students who attack problems from a different perspective will make them better engineers and computer scientists.”

Alumni return for homecoming tailgateCollege alumni and friends returned to the Capstone for the annual homecoming tailgate on Oct. 5 before the Crimson Tide’s victory over Georgia State University. The tailgate was held on the Shelby Engineering and Science Quad, and tailgaters visited with Alabama Lunabotics and members of the Society of Women Engineers.

Currents


[E X P A N D I N G]

Creating innovative technology for law enforcement may be the claim to fame for the Center for Advanced Public Safety, but, as is the case for many in Alabama, a tornado outbreak in April 2011 prompted CAPS researchers to consider their role in preparing the community for future disasters.

After the tornado struck, killing an estimated 251 Alabama residents, weather broadcasters and first responders alike were left dumbfounded. Surely, something else could have been done to prevent so much loss of life.

At least that’s what Dr. Laura Myers thinks. For six years, she has worked to change the way the public receives severe weather warnings. Last year, Myers accepted a position as senior research social scientist for CAPS. She now serves as deputy director of CAPS and is working to incorporate weather-warning tactics into law enforcement technology.

“There’s a crossover between the function of a law enforcement officer and what’s needed on a bad storm day,” said Dr. Allen Parrish, CAPS director and computer science professor. “Weather is just an example of a catalyst of events in which trained first responders need to be equipped with as much information as possible.”

CAPS began with only one software product, the Critical Analysis Reporting Environment data-mining program, or CARE, designed in the 1980s. It wasn’t until 2002 that it began expanding software development to include law enforcement applications. CAPS researchers first developed a law enforcement search engine called Law Enforcement Tactical System, or LETS, followed by an electronic citation application, and then an electronic crash application. Since each program was successful, CAPS continues to appropriate its software to serve various markets, most recently venturing into weather warning.

CAPS researchers mapped out a plan to extend their community footprint by expanding data software, graduating more engineering doctorate students, increasing CAPS’ publication output and faculty size, along with doubling annual research expenditures from $7 million to $15 million.

“We’ve always been on an upward trend in terms of growth, but we’ve really seen a lot of expansion in recent years,” said Rhonda Stricklin, associate director of CAPS. “We basically just wanted to set some goals. We always need to revamp because the technology is always changing. That’s the fun part.”

CAPS ventures into new areas that serve society By Judah Martin

Continued on page 14

“Weather is just an example of a catalyst of events in which trained

first responders need to be equipped with as much

information as possible.” —Dr. Allen Parrish

CAPS director and computer science professor

I T S W I N D O W



This new software program will authenticate through Alabama Communications and Operations Portal, or AlaCOP, the secure, active directory-authentication system that law enforcement officers use in Alabama and that was also developed by CAPS.

Additionally, this improved mapping software will make use of recent advances in social media, such as sharing geolocated pictures.

Myers said the social media software will also depend largely on crowd-sourced images. She found this technology particularly useful in her research after a tornado struck Moore, Okla., in 2013. In a study of tornado impact on residential buildings led by UA’s Dr. Andrew Graettinger, professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, these images helped lead researchers to the areas for study.

“When we got [to Oklahoma], we didn’t have to walk around looking for the most damaged areas,” Myers said. “All we had to do was find the GPS location from the geolocated photos that were uploaded.”

Sharing geolocated photos has another advantage, as well. In the event of a weather disaster, the new technology allows officers to submit detailed, interactive ground reports more quickly and more accurately. Now officers can upload photos.

“It’s a way to have bidirectional communication to keep an officer safe while taking advantage of the immediate communication capabilities that social media offers,” Parrish said. “Anything that can go on a map can be pushed out into the car. We’re going to build a link between the National Weather Service to the police service.”

Parrish expects the software to be initially most advantageous to state troopers and law enforcement officers patrolling cities. Depending on the program’s success, though, Parrish surmised that it will likely trickle down into rural areas soon after.

To aid in development for this and other potential projects, CAPS hosted a severe-weather-warning workshop on campus in July 2013. Presenters included James Spann, chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40 in Birmingham; Dr. Vankita Brown, social scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox; and Beau Elliott, senior associate director for CAPS.

At the conference, Elliott offered an overview of some of the additional systems CAPS has recently incorporated, like the eCrash system. Law enforcement officers can submit crash reports directly

from their patrol cars with eCrash. The reports are immediately included in the state’s crash database (upon supervisor approval), eliminating Alabama’s traditional paper system in which crash reports took up to three months to be submitted to the database.

“The more that we can link all of this data, the more efficient research will be,” said CAPS’ Stricklin. “All of the software ties together, and it’s sort of like one system builds off another system.”

With eCite and eCrash data, for instance, CAPS can instantly show locations of traffic citations and accidents on the same map for research and enforcement purposes. With CARE software, CAPS can not only measure crash rates but can also compare accidents that involved alcohol with accidents that did not, as well as do similar type studies.

Much of CAPS’ new software was developed at the request of sponsors, such as the Alabama Department of Public Safety and the

Alabama Department of Revenue. When a CAPS affiliate needs new software, CAPS is commissioned to develop it. Most recently, when a change in Alabama law allowed officers to use an insurance database, the revenue department contracted CAPS to develop what is now called the Online Insurance Verification System. With the CAPS-developed systems, state law enforcement officers and Department of Motor Vehicle clerks can instantly verify whether a driver has auto insurance.

Developing new software can take anywhere from a few months to a year. Currently, CAPS is working on new software

development that will allow EMS workers to collect and submit patient-care reports electronically.

CAPS software reaches beyond Alabama. CAPS’ CARE analysis software has been implemented in 12 different states and recently in Puerto Rico. Some of their law enforcement software applications have been customized for Arkansas and Mississippi, and they are looking to go to other states.

“It seems like one system leads to another,” Stricklin said. “We’ve certainly diversified, but our software has a common theme. All of it is designed to help [law enforcement and emergency officials] serve the general public more efficiently; so it all kind of ties together.”

A social scientist, Myers is a part of the weather enterprise, a national network of meteorology and broadcast-media professionals, emergency managers and other emergency-planning professionals. After years of surveying communities on weather-response patterns, Myers has noted a diverse range of responses to weather warnings, responses she believes could explain, at least in part, the number of fatalities on April 27.

After studying these conflicting patterns of behavior, Myers noted that people responding to a weather crisis fit into one of three groups — the prepared, the chronically preparing and the refractory prepared. While the first group is generally ready for a disaster, the latter two are not, either because they waited too late to get ready or because they are physically unable to prepare on their own. They present a range of difficulties for the weather-enterprise partners working to usher as many residents to safety as possible. Myers said that most people, she included, tend to fall into the procrastinating, “chronically preparing” group. For that reason, she has concluded that traditional weather warnings are not sufficient for effectively reaching everyone.

“What happens is that people need what’s called secondary confirmation,” Myers said. “Maybe they heard the siren, so the next thing they’ll do is turn on the news or pull up their Twitter to get that

confirmation. The problem is that people lose a very critical amount of time between that first warning and the secondary confirmation.”

With the help of Myers, CAPS is now working with the National Weather Service to incorporate some of her ideas into the weather warning process. For instance, a traditional warning might state, “A severe thunderstorm has been spotted 6 miles from Tuscaloosa.” Myers proposes adding additional details, such as “with 75-mile-an-hour winds that are capable of destroying a brick building,” to the end of the warning in hopes of making them significantly more effective.

Though it’s been only a year since she came to CAPS, Myers was already familiar with eCite, their Electronic Citations Generation and Processing System that allows officers to view a driver’s record and generate tickets electronically. Myers found that the integrated software framework associated with eCite could also be useful for transferring weather information to officers. The mapping software used by law enforcement officers will be integrated with the weather-warning technology implemented by Myers.

“We’ve been working with Dr. Myers for a while; she’s collaborated with us on some of our law enforcement projects,” Parrish said. “I think she was responsible for kind of saying ‘look, some of these things can work together.’”

Previous page: Dr. Allen Parrish is the director of the Center for Advanced Public Safety. Above: Dr. Laura Myers, a social scientist, joined CAPS to incorporate weather-warning tactics into law enforcement technology.

“What happens is that people need what’s called secondary confirmation.

The problem is that people lose a very critical amount of time

between that first warning and the secondary confirmation.”

—Dr. Laura Myers, deputy director of CAPS


By Judah Martin

Charles Williams was certain he was done with school when he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the

University of Mississippi almost 20 years ago. Over the years, Williams would find that, despite his success, he

still hadn’t quite found that one niche he was most passionate about. It would take four degrees, 20 years and a few semesters doing research at The University of Alabama for him to find his calling.

Soon after college he took a job as principal investigator for the geotechnical division at the Mississippi Department of Transportation, where he was in charge of preparing geotechnical reports for bridge replacements and analyzing soil samples.

Williams was comfortable with the work, but he had not spent much time previously analyzing soil samples. After speaking with a few co-workers, Williams learned the Army Corps of Engineers offered a graduate program that was available at Mississippi State University, so he decided to brush up by taking a few classes. He enjoyed the two classes, so he enrolled in a graduate school program, concentrating in soils and pavement.

“I believe my decision to go back to school was primarily due to my desire to expand my knowledge about the geotechnical field and to increase my career opportunities at MDOT,” Williams said.

After finishing his master’s degree in civil engineering in 2000, he took a job with an engineering firm where, as part of his primary duties, he oversaw construction of two bridges.

It was during that time that some of Williams’ older co-workers advised him that a background in business could be beneficial for an engineering career. Williams took their advice and, in 2003, earned an MBA from Bellhaven University in Jackson, Miss.

Now that he had three degrees, two more than he had ever considered pursuing, he was certain he was done with school. He soon took a job as a city engineer for Jackson, a position that would become a cornerstone in his career.

With his new position, Williams was once again placed in a management role and tasked with overseeing construction projects. This responsibility required him to make crucial decisions and, as a result, he noticed how easily a detrimental mistake could be made if he was not careful. He soon became curious about the role neglectful management played in some of the nation’s most prominent engineering failures.

Around the time Williams began to contemplate pursuing these interests, he was informed that Dr. Edward Gibson, former chair of

The University of Alabama Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, was looking to increase the number of doctoral students in the department. Soon, Williams contacted Gibson and, after reflecting on his newfound research interest, Williams figured he wasn’t quite done with school after all.

“I would say that UA chose me,” Williams said. “I had some interest in construction management because a large portion of my job deals with that.”

Gibson soon left UA, and Williams began working with Dr. Philip Johnson, associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, who replaced Gibson as his adviser. Williams was eager to begin investigating management’s role in engineering failures and, with the help of Johnson, published two academic papers on the subject.

He analyzed 47 engineering case studies, including famous engineering failures such as the collapse of the Hyatt Regency Hotel walkway in 1981 and the collapse of the Mianus River Bridge in 1983.

“When we looked at case studies that dealt with different engineering failures, we determined that most of the time it was not technical issues responsible for the disaster, it was inadequate management,” Williams said. “They were errors and omissions, things that typically would fall into the category of quality control and quality assurance post-design inspection. From that, we looked at trying to develop some strategies to help managers in that position reduce issues.”

Williams and Johnson developed a prototype that they called the “standard of

professional practice,” designed to prevent management errors. “We developed an original idea and basically wanted to see how

the engineering community would embrace it,” Williams said. “I think the better that you can implement processes with your job, the better the outcome can be. It has worked well for me.”

Williams graduated in December 2013 after publishing a dissertation titled “The Need for Standard and Professional Practice in Civil Engineering.” He continues to work for the city of Jackson and was recently promoted to engineering manager of the Engineering Division of the Public Works Department. He is certain that he is done with school now.

“In my case I was fortunate to have some older engineers who provided good wisdom to me when I was young and fresh out of school,” Williams said. “It was challenging at times to balance a career, family and academics, but it was a good decision to come to UA. I will always cherish my time being a part of the UA family.”

“I believe my decision to go back to school was

primarily due to my desire to expand my knowledge

about the geotechnical field and to increase my

career opportunities.”

‘UA Chose Me’City engineer from Jackson, Miss., finds home at UA for doctorate degree


During the mobile phone’s meteoric rise from clunky car phone to the powerful computers in our hands today,

the problem of battery life has continued to dog the technology.“Energy is the limit. You can have all this functionality,

but if you don’t have power to do it, then you can’t do it,” said Dr. Jaber Abu Qahouq, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Today’s smartphone has more computing power than all of NASA had in the 1960s space race that ended with humans walking on the moon. (To NASA’s credit, though, its computers were not devoting massive computing power for graphics processing to play Angry Birds.) With more computing power, comes more demand on the rechargeable battery, which, has limits.

To meet that demand, Abu Qahouq is researching and developing methods that allow mobile devices to recharge wirelessly by converting radio frequency waves to electricity in order to extend battery life. In current communication-able devices, the antenna converts radio waves received from an emitting source into electrical currents to receive data and converts electric currents into radio waves to transmit data.

One of Abu Qahouq’s patent-pending technologies is a device and an algorithm that includes a third option for the antenna to harvest energy using the same antenna. The wireless device would be configured adaptively to carry out any one of these three modes at will, termed a triceiver system.

Simply by adding another phase to the phone’s antenna, a mobile device could charge anywhere there is a wireless signal from cell phone towers, wireless Internet network, other mobile devices or any other source of radio frequency waves. Harvested energy would be available for use immediately or could be stored.

The UA Office for Technology Transfer spun a company called e-Electricity off the technology. Abu Qahouq is a consultant with the company, which is led by a team that includes Sloan McCrary, a UA Master of Business Administration student, from Alpharetta, Ga.; and Will Sanders, who graduated in marketing from UA in December, from Mobile, Ala. McCrary is the team lead.

The company entered the Alabama Launchpad Start-Up Competition in 2013. The competition, in its seventh year, is geared to promote, reward and increase the pipeline of high-growth innovative ventures that have the potential to create and keep jobs in Alabama.

In all, 27 teams started the competition cycle, a program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, and nine entrepreneurial businesses were selected to present to judges this past summer. Four continued to the Alabama Launchpad Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, in September, where they made final pitches in hopes of securing up to $100,000 in prize money.

Competition judges awarded e-Electricity $23,500 to help further the company’s goal to develop wireless harvesting. Three other companies were also awarded.

“We are very excited about receiving $23,500 in funding from Alabama Launchpad,” McCrary said. “With this amount we were able to begin the first stage of prototyping that allowed us to confirm the feasibility of the technology.”

With the money, the team fabricated a circuit board with an attached antenna that powers an LED light. Though much larger than the concept for the final product, it proves the technology can work. McCrary and Sanders, in collaboration with the UA Office for Technology Transfer and Abu Qahouq, are working to get more investment or government grants to further development, which will be incremental.

Initially, e-Electricity is developing a peripheral wireless energy-harvesting device that attaches to a cellphone. After that, the company plans to develop a cell phone case with wireless-harvesting capability that could have a secondary battery embedded within the case to extend the operating life of the mobile device before it needs to be charged again.

Ultimately, the goal is to integrate the technology into the mobile and wireless devices, which could come from licensing the technology to a company that manufactures these devices.

Lifting OffBy Adam Jones

College startup company wins Alabama Launchpad, looks to market technology

From left to right, Will Sanders, Dr. Jaber Abu Qahouq and Sloan McCrary are part of e-Electricity, a start-up company formed from Dr. Abu Qahouq’s research into wireless technology.



Just 15 years ago, the area between the engineering buildings on The University of Alabama campus and the Bryce Hospital land

used to be the back edge of campus — driven through and walked across, but nothing else.

So, when an artist’s rendering of the four-building engineering and science complex was first unveiled nearly 10 years ago, it was difficult to imagine its existence. But in August, the University quietly opened the fourth and final building. A month later, the UA board of trustees officially named the area the Shelby Engineering and Science Quad, turning what was once a vision on paper into a promising reality.

“I could never have imagined a complex such as this,” said Sen. Richard Shelby, the U.S. statesman from Tuscaloosa who helped secure federal grants to pay for the lion’s share of the construction costs.

“It’s beautiful,” he said standing in the middle of the buildings with his wife, Dr. Annette Shelby, for a photo. “This is such an asset for this University and our state, but it’s not what it looks like that matters. It’s what comes out of it, and that’s students.”

The Shelby Quad consists of four buildings. The first, Shelby Hall, opened in 2004. The last, North Engineering Research Center, opened this past August, completing a transformation in the University’s ability to teach and research in the sciences and in engineering.

“A decade ago, we had a vision for world-class facilities in engineering and science at The University of Alabama,” said Dr. Judy Bonner, UA president. “Sen. Shelby, our congressional delegation and our board of trustees embraced that vision and now, with the completion of the Shelby Engineering and Science Quad, that vision is reality.

“With nearly a million square feet of world-class engineering and science space, these facilities have transformed the ways we teach and conduct research. The research that takes place in these labs, equipped with the latest technology, will have a significant economic impact on the state, as will the success of the students who have the opportunity to study here.”

The College has space in both Shelby Hall and the adjoining Science and Engineering Complex, or SEC, that opened in 2009, and occupies all of the South Engineering Research Center, or SERC, that opened in 2012, and the new North Engineering

Research Center, or NERC. The almost $300 million project was ushered in with the help of Shelby.

For Dr. Charles Karr, dean of the College of Engineering, the facilities are the jewel of campus, and he shows them off to whoever can come to campus, especially high school students considering an education at UA.

“You simply have to have outstanding facilities to be competitive today, and this is especially true in recruiting,” Karr said. “In some ways, recruiting in engineering is just as it is in athletics. It is almost an arms race. We needed these wonderful new facilities to ramp up our recruiting.”

And with state-of-the-art labs throughout the buildings, they also help attract faculty and graduate students, he said.

Each building has a general theme. In Shelby Hall research is devoted to molecular-level chemistry. The adjoining SEC concentrates on biological research. Chemical engineering has labs and research in both. In the SERC, the focus is on engineered systems, such as structures and mechanical and electrical systems. The NERC has a general focus of atomic-level engineering.

These are broad themes. A lot of space in each building is devoted to other things.

Computer science research, for instance, has a large presence in Shelby Hall and the SEC.

“There was a grand scheme,” said Dr. John Wiest, associate dean of research and graduate studies, who was the College’s representative during the planning and construction process. “It was really based on the types of labs we needed.”

During planning, campus leaders were not assured the next building would come, Karr said.

“We had a large vision for the complex, but we wanted to be sure that should we have to stop at any point, that we would be in a workable configuration,” he said. “The complex is remarkably close to what we put forth as a vision to begin with.”

With the completion of NERC, about three-fourths of the College’s faculty are in new labs within the Shelby Quad. Researchers in the environmental group have labs in the Bevill Building, and major nanotechnology equipment such as an electron microscope also remains in Bevill. Fluids research and much of aerospace engineering faculty are still in Hardaway Hall.

‘Vision is Reality’With opening of final building , UA ready for a new era

of engineering and science By Adam Jones

“You simply have to have outstanding facilities to be competitive today.”

—Dr. Charles L. Karr, dean


Dean Charles Karr, who has been at The University of Alabama College of Engineering as a student, a researcher,

professor or an administrator for more than 30 years, likes to tell the anecdote that faculty from two departments once stuck tape on the floor as a line of demarcation between each other’s part of a building.

That sort of thinking is no longer possible in the newest engineering buildings, especially the recently completed North Engineering Research Center. Of the seven departments in the College, only civil, construction and environmental engineering along with computer science do not have a presence in NERC. The professors are mixed together by research thrust, whatever their original engineering background.

“This new arrangement aims to prompt new opportunities for active research faculty to work together,” said Dr. Gregory Thompson, a professor in metallurgical and materials engineering who moved into NERC.

“In the short time I have been in the building, my group has utilized the various team rooms for scheduled and impromptu multidisciplinary interactions with our peers,” he said. “I can foresee how the modular laboratories will provide my group, and others, the opportunity to adjust equipment layouts to meet current and future research projects.”

Those who moved into NERC focus on research in materials characterization and technology, specifically in structural characterization, composite and nanocomposites, coatings and corrosion, materials processing, welding and joining, as well as electronic, magnetic and photonic devices. The building, designed by Williams Blackstock Architects, of Birmingham, and built by Doster Construction, also of Birmingham, opened in August and is already bustling.

The NERC complements its sister buildings in the Shelby Engineering and Science Quad in its interdisciplinary focus, but, from the outside, it is not as flashy as the other three. It does not have the rotunda like Shelby Hall, the courtyard as in the Science

and Engineering Complex or the two grand entrances like the South Engineering Research Center. However, inside is an impressive four-level atrium in the center of the building.

Like SERC, the building is a significant upgrade in research and laboratory teaching space. The four-story building has about 206,000 gross square feet that includes 59 research laboratories, five instructional labs and a 7,000-square-foot clean room that hosts research under strict environmental guidelines.

The instructional labs, like those in SERC, are designed to be flexible so they can handle any of the College’s disciplines each semester. Research and instructional labs have the ability to accommodate new research tools and equipment without major disruptions or heavy costs, an important part of its design and construction.

The faculty is grouped by research thrust much like the arrangement in the other three buildings in the Shelby Quad. Offices are away from research labs and clumped together to encourage interaction and impromptu gatherings among professors. Graduate students no longer live in laboratories away from other students, rather they have open offices near other students to increase interaction.

In NERC, for instance, researchers on materials and nanotechnology from several departments are all situated close to each other. “It’s transformational in how we are arranged now,” said Dr. John Wiest, associate dean for research and graduate studies.

The clean-room, multiuser lab is an example of design that encourages collaboration. Designed by Lord, Aeck and Sargent, as were all the labs in SERC and NERC, the clean room allows users to share equipment and easily assist in each other’s research. Also, offices of power users and meeting space are situated around the clean room to encourage interaction about common research.

The clean room also continues the theme prominent in SERC of putting engineering research on display. Situated near the main entrance, the clean room has windows along the hallway. “The clean room doesn’t need those big windows, but it’s part of the


Ready to CollaborateCollege’s newest building fosters cross-discipline interaction

By Adam Jones


on-display concept,” Wiest said. “We want the community and students to see what we’re doing.”

The clean room’s actual name is the UA Microfabrication Facility, or MFF, and is directed by Dr. Subhadra “Su” Gupta, professor of metallurgical and materials engineering. She works with associate research engineer and clean-room manager, Dr. Alton Highsmith, and a team of graduate and undergraduate students to run the facility. The MFF is managed by the UA Office of Research, and is open to researchers across campus.

The equipment of the facility creates tiny structures needed for certain research applications such as solar cells, semiconductor chips, computer disk drives, advanced memory and various nanosensors and detectors.

The old MFF in H.M. Comer Hall, which had 2,880 square feet, was lost when the back of the building was razed in spring 2011 to make way for the NERC. The research was moved to Bevill.

“It’s night and day between the two,” Wiest said. “The last one was put together wherever we could squeeze it into old space.”

With 7,111 square feet, the new MFF is nearly two-and-a-half times larger and broken into three bays.

Clean rooms are classified based on particles present in per volume of air. The International Standards Organization, or ISO, defines the standards. UA has one bay, at about 510 square feet with no more than 100 particles half a micrometer in size, or millionth of a meter, in each cubic foot of space, or 832 micrometer particles per cubic meter. The bay is a Class 100 or ISO 5 clean room.

By contrast, the air in an average room has more than 8.3 million micrometer-sized particles per cubic meter.

This photolithography bay will house equipment that uses light to fabricate a pattern on a substrate.

The MFF also houses two bays with 863 square feet of Class 1000 or ISO 6 ratings, with no more than 8,320 micrometer

Research and instructional labs have the ability

to accommodate new research tools and

equipment without major disruptions or heavy costs,

an important part of its design and construction.

particles per cubic meter in the air. One bay holds etching equipment used in fabrication to precisely remove thin films or drill through silicon wafers, while the other houses deposition equipment to add thin film layers down to less than a nanometer in thickness to a substrate.

The process to move into the clean room is slow going because of a number of factors, but Gupta said the new clean room should allow for better research.

“The equipment can be set up much better than it was previously because of the large service areas adjacent to each of the clean spaces,” she said. “The clean room was designed with a lot of input from us, so it should operate much more smoothly once everything has been set up.”

Users of the MFF conduct research in semiconductor, optoelectronic and magnetic materials and devices. Some examples of the cutting-edge research conducted in the MFF include development of the following:

• giant magnetoresistive devices using novel materials by Dr. William Butler and Dr. Patrick LeClair, both in physics, and Gupta;

• magnetic tunnel junctions for nonvolatile memory applications by Gupta and Dr. Yang-Ki Hong, professor in electrical and computer engineering;

• development of novel all-oxide magnetic tunnel junctions by Dr. Arunava Gupta, professor of chemical engineering and chemistry;

• plasmonic structures for photovoltaics to biosensing applications by Dr. Margaret Kim, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering;

• high-frequency transistors by Dr. Patrick Kung, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering;

• through silicon vias by Dr. Susan Burkett, professor of electrical and computer engineering;

• nanowire photodetectors by Dr. Jinhui Song, assistant professor in metallurgical and materials engineering;

• nanopatterned advanced media by Dr. Su Gupta and Dr. Dawen Li, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering;

• electro-optical devices by Dr. Nitin Chopra, associate professor of metallurgical and materials engineering; and

• microfuel cells by Dr. Ramana Reddy, professor of metallurgical and materials engineering

“I am very excited about how beautiful and functional the new clean room has turned out, and cannot wait to be fully operational in there,” Dr. Su Gupta said. “I certainly hope and trust that the new facility will encourage many more faculty to use the facility, as well as allow us to start marketing our services outside the campus.”

Dr. Gregory Thompson, professor of metallurgical and materials engineering, was one of the first to move his lab into NERC.


Alumni DynamicsItems of Interest to Capstone Engineers and Computer Scientists

Alumni Dynamics

Two alumni inducted into Alabama Engineering Hall of FameAmong this year’s class of inductees in the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame were two UA College of Engineering alumni, Dr. Daniel S. Turner, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and E. Glenn Bishop, of Hoover, Ala. Founded in 1987 by proclamation of the governor, the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame honors, preserves and perpetuates the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of individuals, projects and corporations/institutions that brought and continue to bring significant recognition to the state.

Dr. Daniel S. Turner has made his life’s work improving traffic safety and highway design for the state and the nation. He has contributed significantly to the knowledge and practice of civil engineering, and his accomplishments made him an ambassador for his profession, state and university.

Turner earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering at The University of Alabama, the latter in 1970. He joined the faculty of the College in 1976 and earned his doctorate from Texas A&M in 1980. His specialty areas are teaching, research and service in the fields of traffic operations, traffic safety, highway design, transportation management, finance and policy, along with homeland security.

Some of his more prominent activities the past 25 years include an assessment of critical road and bridge maintenance needs for the

Alabama Legislature that led to the most-recent increase in the state gasoline tax earmarked for highway improvement and a nationally-watched study of the cost effectiveness of installing seat belts on school buses.

In 1998, he was named as the founding director of the University Transportation Center for Alabama, which conducts transportation education, research and technology transfer activities.

Turner is well known nationally for vision and leadership. He is a past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the only Alabamian to serve as ASCE president. He is also past president of the Council of University Transportation Centers where he was a voice on transportation research to the federal government.

E. Glenn Bishop, through nearly 50 years of engineering work, directed and led some of the most high profile civil engineering projects in Alabama and, along the way, founded what would become the largest consulting engineering firm in the state. Influential in engineering practices nationwide, Bishop’s projects and the firm he began stand as an engineering legacy.

Bishop earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from UA in 1964 and 1966, respectively. He began a one-man engineering firm in 1973 that became LBYD Inc., now a 58-person civil and structural engineering firm with offices in Birmingham; Huntsville; Atlanta, Ga.; and Tampa Bay, Fla. LBYD was inducted as a corporation into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2006.

Previous page: The CES Golf Tournament raised a record amount for scholarships. Above: Dr. Daniel Turner, BSCE ’68 and MSCE ’70, and E. Glenn Bishop, BSCE ’64 and MSCE ’66, were inducted into the 2014 class of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.


Alumni Dynamics

He has worked on more than 2,000 projects since he began practicing engineering in 1966. He was principal-in-charge of such notable projects as the expansion of The University of Alabama Bryant-Denny Stadium north and south end zones, the United States federal courthouses in Birmingham and Montgomery, along with the award-winning Mobile Government Plaza and Mobile Convention Centers. He also designed the first arch replacement in the U.S. to use post-tensioning to enhance crack control, and 60 arches were replaced at Martin Dam for Alabama Power Co.

Nationally, he is a fellow in the American Council of Engineering Companies and is past president of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Alabama. Bishop also served as chairman of the Council of American Structural Engineers National Guidelines Committee.

CES Golf Tournament a successThe 13th annual Capstone Engineering Society Golf Tournament in September at Riverchase Country Club raised more than $40,000 for engineering and computer science scholarships. The CES appreciates the five tournament sponsors, 37 hole sponsors, putting-contest sponsor, silent-auction donors and 137 golfers who participated in the event and made it a big success.

The CES Golf Tournament has raised more than $250,000 since its inception. The results of this tournament make a difference for the Capstone Engineering Society and The University of Alabama

College of Engineering in the mission to provide scholarships and to ensure that UA engineering and computer science students are provided a superior educational experience.

New lecture series honors retired MTE professorA new lecture series to honor a University of Alabama professor emeritus aims to present high-visibility topics in the fields of metallurgical and materials engineering and design to students and the public.

The annual lecture series honors Dr. Richard C. Bradt and is sponsored by Engineering Systems Inc. Dr. Michael Stevenson, a former graduate student of Bradt’s, is president and CEO of ESI and gave the inaugural presentation in November.

Stevenson is a registered professional engineer who earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in metallurgical and material engineering at UA. His lecture on materials failure analysis was titled “Structure, Properties, Design and Performance: The Role of Fundamental Engineering Principles in Major Accident Investigations.”

Bradt joined the faculty at the College in 1994 as head of the department of metallurgical and materials engineering. In 2003, he was named the Alton N. Scott Professor of Materials Engineering. He retired in 2009, but he has remained an active researcher, speaker and educator.

Alumni Dynamics

Hole SponsorsTournament Sponsors

The Capstone Engineering Society thanks the sponsors of the 13th annual CES Golf Tournament.

Alabama Guardrail Inc.Apache Construction Corp.Barnett, Jones, Wilson LLC

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLPC&B Piping

Carter VerPlanckCharles Finch Valve

Chesapeake Consulting Inc.Custom Fab

David G. Courington Consulting LLCDavid & Jackie Courington

EneconEnerfab

Energen Resources Corp. (two holes)Energy Systems Southeast LLC

Ferguson WaterworksGeocent LLC

Hargrove Engineers and ConstructorsHoar Program Management

Hunt Refining Co.Jim House and Associates

LBYD Inc.McAbee Construction Inc.

Nucor Steel DecaturNucor Steel Tuscaloosa

Process Automation & Simulation Services Inc.Shannon Banks Insurance and Bonds

Southland Pipe & SupplySpectrum Environmental Inc.

Thompson Tractor Inc.Volkert Inc.

Vulcan Materials Co.Vulcan Painters Inc.

Wade Sand and Gravel Co. Inc.Walter Schoel Engineering Co. Inc.

Whitaker & Rawson Inc.

Putting Contest SponsorB.L. Harbert International


Alumni Dynamics

ADTRAN Inc. for continuing support of the ADTRAN Mark C. Smith Endowed Engineering Scholarship

Dr. Glenn Ahrenholz for continuing support of the H. William Ahrenholz Emerging Technologies Fund

Alabama Motorcoach Association for continuing support of the Civil Engineering Scholarship Fund

Alabama Department of Transportation for continuing support of the Civil Engineering Scholarship Fund

Mr. and Mrs. John M. Allen IV for support of the Electrical Engineering Gift Fund

American Cast Iron Pipe Co. for continuing support of the ACIPCO Engineering Scholarship Program

Friends and family of Dr. Gary C. April for continuing support of the Gary C. April Endowed Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. James A. Blackwell Jr. for continuing support of the James A. Blackwell Jr. and Billie F. Blackwell Endowed Scholarship

Boeing Co. for continuing support of the Boeing Corporation Scholarship and the Boeing Corporation Multicultural Engineering Scholarship

Bourbon Street Group LLC for support of the Mechanical Engineering Gift Fund

Brasfield & Gorrie LLC for continuing support of the Brasfield & Gorrie Founders’ Scholarship, the Brasfield & Gorrie Endowed Support Fund and the Brasfield & Gorrie Discretionary Fund

Dr. Robin B. and Mr. William P. Buckelew for continuing support of the William P. and Robin B. Buckelew Endowed Engineering Scholarship

Ms. Tammie Jean Butts for continuing support of the Tommie Ray Courington Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Chevron for continuing support of the Chemical Engineering Fund, the Chevron Chemical Engineering Scholarship, the Chevron Mechanical Engineering Scholarship, the Mechanical Engineering Gift Fund, the Multicultural Engineering Gift Fund and the Society of Women Engineers Gift Fund

Mr. Andrew Cibulas for continuing support of the Andrew Cibulas Technology Support Fund

Mrs. June N. Crowder for continuing support of the William E. Crowder Scholarship in Aerospace Engineering

Miss Elizabeth Burford Crump for continuing support of the James Noble Crump Endowed Electrical Engineering Scholarship

Ms. Sheila Cummings for establishing the Cummings Aerospace Ace Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. Milton A. Davis Jr. for continuing support of the Alpha & Milton Davis Jr. Endowed Scholarship

Mr. Harvel Gordon Deas Jr. for establishing the Harvel Gordon Deas Jr. Endowed Engineering Scholarship

Friends and Family of the late Nickless Devin for continuing support of the Nickless Devin Endowed Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. Matt Dooley for continuing support of the Gary and Carolyn Dooley Endowed Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Doty for support of the Engineering Scholarship Fund

Drummond Co. Inc. for continuing support of the Drummond Company Annual Scholarship in Engineering and the Drummond Company Inc. Endowed Scholarship

Eastman Chemical Company for continuing support of the Chemical Engineering Fund, the Multicultural Engineering Gift Fund and the Engineering Co-op Gift Fund

ExxonMobil for support of the Mechanical Engineering Gift Fund

Mr. James M. Faircloth Jr. for continuing support of the James M. Faircloth Memorial Endowed Scholarship

FedEx Corp. for support of the Electrical Engineering Gift Fund

Fitz-Thors Mechanical Inc. for support of the Electrical Engineering Gift Fund and the Mechanical Engineering Gift Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Haubein for continuing support of the Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Haubein Endowed Engineering Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin M. Hostler for continuing support of the Becky and Kevin Hostler Endowed Engineering Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. Mike Johns for continuing support of the Thomas and Bonnie Culhane Endowed Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. James H. Johnson Jr. for continuing support of the Carol F. & James Johnson Endowed Chemical Engineering Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. George M. Jones III for continuing support of the George Merrill Jones III and Carole Jurenko Jones Endowed Scholarship

Ms. Mary Lou Kellerman for support of the Engineering Scholarship Fund and the Metallurgical Gift Fund in memory of Mr. Charles R. Kellerman Jr.

Dr. Lisa Kennedy for support of the Chemical Engineering Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Tom D. Kilgore for continuing support of the Myra Blevins Kilgore Endowed Scholarship

Lockheed Martin Corp. for support of the Civil Engineering Gift Fund, Electrical Engineering Gift and Mechanical Engineering Gift Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. MacKay for continuing support of the Rick and Barrett Brock MacKay Chemical Engineering Discretionary Fund

Big Thanks We appreciate our recent partners in UA’s College of Engineering family for their support of our students and programs.

Alumni Dynamics

Ms. Catherine E. Massey for continuing support of the James Bennett Massey Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. N. Hugh Mathews for continuing support of the N. Hugh & Regina S. Mathews Endowed Engineering Scholarship

McAbee Construction Inc. for continuing support of the McAbee Construction Inc. Endowed Scholarship

McAbee Foundation for continuing support of the McAbee Foundation Scholarship

McAbee Pigfitters for continuing support of the College of Engineering E-Day

National Space Grant Foundation for continuing support of the Electrical Engineering Gift Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Terry Neeley for continuing support of the Terry L. Neeley Endowed Scholarship

Mrs. Claire Nichols for continuing support of the William G. Nichols Endowed Engineering Scholarship

Nucor Corp. for continuing support of the NUCOR Student Introduction to Engineering Support Fund and the Metallurgical Engineering Gift Fund

Mr. Alsey C. Parker Jr. for continuing support of the Alsey C. Parker Memorial Endowed Engineering Scholarship

Friends and family of the late Germanique Pickens for continued support of the Germanique Pickens Memorial Fund in Engineering

Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Rampacek for continuing support of the Carl Rampacek Endowed Engineering Scholarship and the Charles M. Rampacek Endowed Engineering Scholarship

Friends of Davis Richards for establishing the Davis Richards Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. John S. Richardson for continuing support of the John S. and Suzanne R. Richardson Engineering Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. David E. Roberts Jr. for continuing support of the Roberts Engineering Scholarship

Robins & Morton for continuing support of the Robins & Morton Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Russell for continuing support of the Thomas C. Russell and Nancy A. Carper Endowed Scholarship

Mr. Robert S. Ryan for continuing support of the Engineering Scholarship Fund and the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Endowment

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Sanders Jr. for continuing support of the Joe and Lavonne Sanders Chemical Engineering Scholarship

Mr. Dennis Schroeder for continuing support of the Dennis A. Schroeder Endowed Scholarship

Mr. Charles A. Sipe Jr. for continuing support of the Charles A. Sipe Jr. and Nelle Sipe Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Mike Stevenson for establishing the Dr. Richard Bradt Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Support Fund

3M Foundation – Decatur for continuing support of the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Minority Scholarship and the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company Scholarship

U.S. Steel for support of the Mechanical Engineering Gift Fund

Vulcan Materials Co. for continuing support of the Vulcan Materials Company Endowed Support Fund

Ms. Ferne Wlodarski for continuing support of the M. Ferne Wlodarski Support Fund

Mr. Leland Wood Jr. for establishing the Leland L. Wood Sr. and Margean S. Wood Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Chang-Yu Yu for support of the Chemical Engineering Fund

Dr. and Mrs. John Van Zee for continuing support of the Chemical Engineering Fund

The UA College of Engineering thanks McAbee Construction Inc. and McAbee Pigfitters for their continued support of Engineering Day.


Alumni Notes Jobs. Promotions. Awards.

Alumni Dynamics

1967Lance Wyatt, BSCE, was appointed vice president of J.T. Harrison Construction Co. Inc. in Northport, Ala.

1978David King, BSCE, was appointed CEO for Archer Limited, a global oil-field-service company specializing in drilling services and well services. Dennis Pruett, BSME, was appointed to the position of renewable services global field operations leader for General Electric Co.

1979Lewis A. Jeffers, BSME, was appointed vice president of technical services for engineering and construction services for Southern Co. in Atlanta, Ga.

1981Vicki A. Hollub, BSMinE, was elected vice president of Occidental Petroleum Corp. and executive vice president of U.S. operations, oxy oil and gas. Hollub heads the company’s domestic operations.

1984Joan A. “Jody” Singer, BSIE, was appointed manager of the Flight Programs and Partnerships Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

1985Phillip Ford, BSIE, was appointed CEO of OTR Wheel Engineering Inc., an international manufacturer that specializes in off-the-road tires, wheels and mounted tire-wheel assemblies and rubber tracks based in Rome, Ga.

Jerry Wayne Hall, BSCE, has spent 27 years with Norfolk Southern Railway in Norfolk, Va., and was recently promoted vice president-intermodal.

Laura Vasut, BSMinE(Pet.), joined Saratoga Resources Inc. in Houston, Texas. Vasut will assist in the evaluation of the company’s reserves and development opportunities.

1987Scott Alan Graham, BSIE, was promoted to the rank of colonel by the Alabama Air National Guard, where he serves as the 117th Operations group commander.

1988James R. Dalrymple, BSEE, was named senior vice president of coal and gas operations for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

1989Kalyanmoy Deb, MSMh, Ph.D. ’91, was named the Herman E. and Ruth J. Koenig chair in Michigan State University’s department of electrical and computer engineering.

G. Derrick Hinton, BSIE, principal deputy director of Test Resource Management Center in the U.S. Department of Defense, is co-lead of a $250 million study to identify efficiency in the test and evaluation enterprise to allow the department to identify advanced war-fighting capabilities.

1991Selvin Greene, BSCE, MSCE ’93, was appointed traffic engineer for Tuscaloosa, Ala.

1993Huban A. Gowadia, BSAE, was appointed by President Barrack Obama to serve as director for domestic nuclear detection for the Department of Homeland Security.

2000Jeffrey C. Coleman, MSEE, was appointed manager of engineering and automation at Berkeley Electric Cooperative in Moncks Corner, S.C.

2005Matthew C. Rogers, BSCE, accepted a civil engineering position with the engineering design firm Burk-Klein’s office in Mobile, Ala.

2006Jiankang “Jay” Zhu, MSESM, Ph.D., received the 2013 Technology Transfer award from the Electric Power Research Institute after leading a long-term study to gather more accurate,

real-time measurements of water flows at the New York Power Authority’s Niagara plant. Zhu is a research and technology development engineer for the NYPA.

2013Katie Jennings, BSChE, accepted a position as a drilling-rig supervisor for ExxonMobil Development Co.

Wenwu Shi, Ph.D., accepted a position as RD engineer with Vesuvius in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Junchi Wu, Ph.D., accepted a position as process engineer with Intel in Hillsboro, Ore.

Something we missed? Please send us your professional achievement and

recognitions for inclusion in Alumni Notes by visiting eng.ua.edu/alumni/update.

Alumni Dynamics

Jerry Michael HendonJerry Michael Hendon died Nov. 18, 2013, in Chattanooga Tenn. A Tuscaloosa native, Hendon received a bachelor’s degree in mineral engineering from The University of Alabama in 1977. He was employed for 20 years at the Drummond Coal Co. before later moving to Chattanooga, where he spent 11 years working for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

George D. HopsonGeorge D. Hopson died Oct. 23, 2013, in Madison, Ala. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Hopson earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University in 1950. After graduating, he went to General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas, where he worked for eight years. He then returned to Alabama and spent 45 years working at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. During those years, Hopson held numerous positions, including fluid dynamics branch chief, structures and thermal branch chief, space systems chief engineer, space station projects manager, space shuttle main engine manager and NASA technical fellow for propulsion. For his work with NASA, Hopson received two Outstanding Leadership Awards, two Presidential Rank Awards and the Distinguished Service Award. In 1992, he was selected by the College as a Distinguished Engineering Fellow, and he was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2005.

Ralph Loeb Jr.Ralph Loeb Jr. died Nov. 27, 2013, in Austin, Texas. During World War II, Loeb served as an electrician’s mate in the U.S. Navy. In 1946, he enrolled at UA, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering in 1950. Afterward, Loeb worked for 35 years as chief electrical engineer for Sherlock, Smith and Adams in Montgomery, Ala. He also served as chairman of the National Fire Protection Association. Loeb later received UA’s Outstanding Fellow Award for Electrical Engineering.

John Herald Phares Sr.John Herald Phares Sr. died Aug. 19, 2013, in Greenville, S.C. Phares served two years in the U.S. Army before earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University in 1964. A registered professional engineer, he worked 24 years at Celanese/Hoechst Celanese in Greer, S.C. Upon his retirement, Phares continued to manage worldwide design and construction projects for the company and traveled with his wife, Henrietta, to China, Turkey, Canada and other places..Joe Cline Weaver Jr.Joe C. Weaver Jr. died Dec. 28, 2013, at the age of 100 in Dallas, Texas. A native of Cochrane, Ala., Weaver graduated from UA with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1935. He began his career with Sherwin-Williams Co., developing the company’s first non-oil-based paint and then worked with explosives during World War II. A registered professional engineer, he moved to Dallas in 1959 with Texas Instruments before joining Standard Oil-Amoco. Later, he spent five years in India as managing director of Madras Fertilizers as part of the government’s effort to enhance India Agriculture.

Nagy El-KaddahDr. Nagy El-Kaddah died Jan. 20, 2014. He joined the College’s faculty in fall 1985. A full professor in the department of metallurgical and materials engineering, his research focused on transport, kinetics and electromagnetic processing of materials. He received his bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering in 1968 from Cairo University, Egypt, and doctorate in metallurgical engineering in 1976 from London University, England. Before coming to the University, he taught at Cairo University and was a visiting scientist and research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1982, he won the Egyptian State Incentive Prize for outstanding contributions to engineering.

In MemoryFrom left to right: Jerry Michael Hendon, George D. Hopson, Nagy El-Kaddah, John Herald Phares Sr.



Alumni Dynamics

In Memory Continued

Tweetgineering — Because engineers use Twitter, too

“They offer the best of both worlds. I’ll start with academics. They have my major, civil engineering, and I met with the dean. I’ve seen the labs, fell in love, been on the campus.” — Da’Shawn Hand, one of the nation’s top high school football players, on his decision to sign with the Crimson Tide, from “Hand makes the call: It’s Alabama,” Rivals.com.

“I have had to make some sacrifices, but it’s really about prioritizing. I don’t go out as much, as I stay in and do homework. Although I feel like it’s hurting my social life right now, it’s really for the better.” —Jasmine Sabio, a junior from Huntsville, Ala., on her busy schedule as a chemical engineering student and Miss Philippines USA, from “First time’s a charm for pageant contestant,” The Tuscaloosa News.

“The pressure of the holiday, the pressure of having to find something and running all over to find it and all of those things would tend to distract them. Their mind is on other things, and the next thing you know they’re pulling out in front of somebody.” —Dr. David Brown, deputy director of Center for Advanced Public Safety, on holiday traffic patterns, from “For drivers around Christmastime, it’s not exactly tidings of comfort and joy,” The Washington Post.

“When I started at The University of Alabama, it occurred to me that since we make ionic liquids from imidazoles, why don’t we just start looking at the imidazoles themselves? It’s a lower cost material with low viscosity and low vapor pressure, so it seemed like a pretty attractive thing to be doing, and no one had been studying that before.” —Dr. Jason Bara, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering , from “Professor obtains patent for imidazole-based capture system,” GHG Reduction Technologies Monitor.

Bits and BytesThe College from Outside

Bits and Bytes

“#ThoughtsDuringMathClass I miss the days when math had numbers.” Taylor McCrary, senior majoring in math with a minor in computing technology and applications.

“You know you’re an engineering major when you couldn’t sleep because you were correcting mistakes on your homework problems in your head.” Kaitlin Dulaney, sophomore majoring in chemical engineering.

“Just saw the little Target brand arrow logo and tried to calculate the components of the vector. #EngineeringProblems.” —David Lloyd, junior majoring in civil engineering.

Hannah Patterson, a junior from Canonsburg , Pa., studying chemical engineering , speaks with WBRC Fox 6 about her election as her sorority’s first African-American president.

Friends we will missDavid R. Bassinger, BSEE ’62

Gerald D. Bradford Sr., BSCE ’57

Mary Cook Stewart Brusnigham, BSME ’43

William Grady Bryant Jr., BSEE ’42

Henry James Butcher, MSE ’68

James Oliver Cain Jr., BSEE ’61

William R. Coulter, BSCS, ’81

David Cummins, BSChE ’48

Robert S. Dahlin, PhDChE ’85

Tom F. Eddins, BSE, ’67

Charles Michael Edwards, BSAE, ’60

Dr. James G. Farrow, BSAE ’67

Beauford E. Faulkner, ChE ’61

Ernest Henry Hamilton, BSME ’49

Alton Edward Hand, BSME ’59

James Thomas Himes Jr., BSCE ’51

Thomas Reid Hudson, BSEE ’53

John Louis Jacobson, BSEE ’63

Ralph Eugene Johnston, BSCE ’64

Col. George Herbert Jones Jr., BSChE ’41

Arthur John Karanian, BSAE ’50

William Neil King, BSEE ’65

Reid Ledbetter, MSME ’58

Thomas A. McDougal, BSEE ’49

Dyson “Dyke” Ramsey Miller, MSME ’72

Joseph Allen Moore, BSIE ’59

Richard A. “Boots” Morse, BSChE ’44

Richard Evan Myers, BSIE ’49

Luther Jackson Nale, MSEE ’67

Johnnie William Owens, BSME ’44

Lt. Col. Richard Louis Ravenelle, BSME ’53

Adrian Alton Ringland Jr., BSIE ’47

Thomas Houser Stephen, BSIE ’53

Joseph I. Thoms, BSME ’50

Lt. Col. Lazarus H. Todd, BSCE ’34

Trenton E. Toland, BSCE ’52

Paul Lester Yantis Jr., BSCE ’50


CE: Has the open-source movement already influenced expensive user-generated software?

Carver: The open-source movement has had a large impact on the traditional software industry. Many users, companies and governments are moving away from proprietary software to open-source software in cases where they cannot make a good financial argument for the extra functionality provided by the proprietary software. Open-source software can potentially be upgraded more frequently than traditional proprietary software due to the different business model. It is definitely true that in many domains, open-source software projects are pushing commercial software companies to provide more value to justify the additional expense. In fact, in many cases, commercial software companies have changed their business model to release some or their entire product free in return for gathering advertising revenue.

CE: What improvement can come from researching open-source software development since many of the most-used open-source programs seem to be doing fine?

Carver: While many of the more well-known open-source projects are doing well, those projects make up less than 1 percent of the over 600,000 open-source projects. Most of these projects have various problems, both technical and nontechnical. Our research aims to better understand why some projects are

successful. These results will not only allow us to identify areas of further improvement for those projects but also to share effective strategies with the less successful projects.

CE: Can open-source development be as efficient as traditional development teams?

Carver: Yes and no. The motivation for open-source software teams is largely different than the goal of traditional software development teams. There are some key differences between open-source development and traditional development in regards to team membership, methods of teammates and even the reward structure for team participation. These differences make efficiency

difficult to compare between open-source and traditional development. The primary goal of open-source software is to utilize globally-available software-development talent to create usable software that can be provided at little or no costs to its users. Therefore, open-source teams are focused on integrating new functionality into their products as quickly as possible to provide benefit to their users, while traditional development teams are focused on releasing features in a manner that makes the product profitable to the company. In those respects, both types of teams can be efficient, in their own way.


Dr. Jeffrey Carver, associate professor of computer science, researches development of open-source software, which could be improved through understanding how isolated programmers collaborate. He answered questions about the study he conducted in collaboration with graduate student Amiangshu Bosu.

End User

End UserCapstone Engineers and Computer Scientists on Today’s Technology

Dear Alumni and Friends,In my daily interactions with our College of Engineering alumni, one of the most frequently asked questions I encounter is how alumni can be more involved with our students. With the ever-growing student population, it is more important than ever to connect students with alumni. Our alumni can offer valuable advice as well as share their industry knowledge and expertise along with life experience.

As professionals, you have walked in the students’ shoes and can appreciate the trials and triumphs before them; your insight is greatly needed and can make a tremendous difference in the life of a student.

The CES and the College are in the final stages of implementing Mentor UPP: Undergraduate Professional Partnering, an alumni-student mentoring program, for the fall. The professional program focuses on matching juniors and seniors with alumni who can assist students in transitioning from college to career. With the competition in the job market and the changing economy, students desire one-on-one mentoring where relationships can be built and advice sought. Whether you are in Alabama or across the country, the program is designed to use the latest communication technology to support your relationship with your student mentee.

Mentor UPP is offered to CES members as a benefit of membership, and all of our alumni and friends are encouraged to get involved. By being or becoming a CES member, you are invited to complete the application for the fall. Inserted in this edition of the Capstone Engineer is a pull-out card with the website for Mentor UPP. If you are interested in becoming an alumni mentor, please visit the website and complete the online application. Additional information will follow after your application is received.

Thank you for all you do to support the College, the CES and especially our students.

Roll Tide!

Nancy N. HolmesManager, Capstone Engineering Society

Capstone Engineering SocietyCollege of EngineeringBox 870200 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0200

“ It’s an opportunity for you to give back. If you’ve gone through the engineering program, you realize the education you received. Giving back to the CES is an opportunity to reach out to those who want to further their education, as well, at the University”

— Chris Palmer, BSEE ’01, and CES member

In the past six years, active-alumni contributions to the Capstone Engineering Society provided more than 60 scholarships to our engineering and computer science students. Tell a friend or colleague about the help you provide the College of Engineering through the CES.

eng.ua.edu/alumni

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDThe University

of Alabama

capstone engineer - spring 2014

Documents

college of engineering

p s t o n e e n g

ua ready

college snapshot

s e p t

ua engineeringsurveying

college noteworthy news

e d u2